


The B-Sides: Stories from the Commonwealth

by Danypooh80



Series: The Misfits of the Commonwealth [2]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Eventual Romance, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Long Live Feedback Comment Project, Mild Smut, Misfits of the Commonwealth - Freeform, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:41:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 37,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21678520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danypooh80/pseuds/Danypooh80
Summary: In every story, there’s another perspective- follow the Misfits of the Commonwealth through the moments that didn’t make it into the original journey. This is a collection of one-shots that are made so they can be read with the main story or on their own.See the index for the summary of all the stories, pairings, and corresponding chapters!
Relationships: Fahrenheit/Magnolia (Fallout), John Hancock (Fallout)/Original Female Character(s), John Hancock/Female Sole Survivor, Preston Garvey/Female Sole Survivor, Robert Joseph MacCready/Female Sole Survivor, Robert Joseph MacCready/Piper Wright
Series: The Misfits of the Commonwealth [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1562767
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	1. Index

**Author's Note:**

> I bit the bullet and finally put my [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/danypooh80) back up- follow me if you want to send a message, share memes, post fic recommendations, and get previews of upcoming stories!

This index outlines all the stories in this collection- updated with each posting! 

  * **Chapter 2: Would you be my General?**
    * _MCs: Preston and Grace_
    * _Setting: During "Just the Facts" (Chapter 2)_
    * Summary: Preston meets Grace for the first time
  * **Chapter 3: Turn Left**
    * _MCs: Grace and Nate_
    * _Setting: During “Insurance” (Chapter 3)_
    * Summary: Grace tries to find her way to Diamond City
  * **Chapter 4: The Merc for Hire **  

    * _MCs: MacCready & Grace_
    * _Setting: During “Art is Subjective” (Chapter 8)_
    * Summary: MacCready and Grace head out on their first mission together
  * **Chapter 5: It's getting hot in here **
    * _MCs: Fahrenheit & MacCready_
    * _Setting: During “Caps and Capers” (Chapter 9)_
    * Summary: Fahrenheit and MacCready chat about what happened with Bobbi
  * **Chapter 6: Reading is Fundamental**
    * _MCs: Daisy, Grace, and MacCready_
    * _Setting: During “The Best Detective in the Commonwealth” (Chapter 11)_
    * Summary: Daisy and Dogmeat discuss starting a book club
  * **Chapter 7: Sleuthin' ain't easy**
    * _MCs: Piper, Grace, & Nick_
    * _Setting: During “With a little help from your friends” (Chapter 13)_
    * Summary: Piper, Nick and Grace break into Kellogg’s house
  * **Chapter 8: Loophole**
    * _MCs: Sam_
    * _Setting: During “Down the Rabbit Hole” (Chapter 15)_
    * Summary: Sam decides to help Hancock
  * **Chapter 9: Cover Fire**
    * _MCs: MacCready & Piper_
    * _Setting: Before “Down the Rabbit Hole” (Chapter 15)_
    * Summary: MacCready and Piper wait for the rest of the gang
  * **Chapter 10: Fears**
    * _MCs: Hancock & Grace_
    * _Setting: During “Will the real Grace please stand up?” (Chapter 17)  
_
    * Summary: Grace eases some of Hancock's fears
  * **Chapter 11: Echoes from a time before**
    * _MCs: Grace, Sam, & Nia_
    * _Setting: During “Will the real Grace please stand up?” (Chapter 17)_
    * Summary: Hancock discovers why Grace came to the Commonwealth (Grace's origin story)
  * **Chapter 12: I should've told you**
    * _MCs: Preston, Grace, & Hancock_
    * _Setting: During “Will the real Grace please stand up?” (Chapter 17)_
    * Summary: Preston and Grace talk when she comes back to Sanctuary, but Hancock doesn't help matters
  * **Chapter 13: Breakdown**
    * _MCs: Grace, Deacon, & Hancock_
    * _Setting: During “I’m Gunning for you, Kid” (Chapter 21)_

    * Summary: Grace needs a minute as they track the courser 
  * **Chapter 14: First Dates**
    * _MCs: MacCready, Hancock, & Piper_
    * _Setting: During “Building Towards Something” (Chapter 25)_
    * Summary: Piper and MacCready have a date in Sanctuary_  
_
  * **Chapter 15: May I have this dance?**
    * _MCs: Nick_
    * _Setting: During “Reunions, Pt 2” (Chapter 31)_
    * Summary: Nick and Grace share a dance
  * **Chapter 16: Hello, Mrs. Hancock**
    * _MCs: Hancock & Grace_
    * _Setting: End of "Two Truths and a Lie" (Chapter 32)_
    * Summary: Grace and Hancock share a moment on their wedding night _(NSFW)_
  * **Chapter 17: In case I don't get the chance to tell you**
    * _MCs: MacCready & Piper_
    * _Setting: During "It's not as simple as a boss fight" (Chapter 33)_
    * Summary: MacCready talks with Piper before they take on the Institute
  * **Chapter 18: Stir Crazy**
    * _MC's: MacCready & Grace_
    * _Setting: Before “Always and Forever, Sunshine” (Chapter 35)_
    * Summary: A very pregnant Grace tries to get MacCready to go on an adventure
  * **Chapter 19: The Perfect Gift**
    * _MCs: Hancock & 10-year-old Shaun _
    * _Setting: Before “Always and Forever, Sunshine” (Chapter 35)_
    * Summary: Hancock helps Shaun with his gift for the baby 
  * **Chapter 20: It just doesn't fit anymore**
    * _MCs: X6_
    * _Setting: After “Always and Forever, Sunshine” (Chapter 35)_
    * Summary: X6 does some analysis and comes to some conclusions
  * **Chapter 21: Don't eat my bird, Grace**
    * _MCs: Grace & Sam_
    * _Setting: After “Always and Forever, Sunshine” (Chapter 35)_
    * Summary: A little older and a little wiser, Sam and Grace share a moment on the roof 


	2. Index

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preston meets Grace for the first time
> 
> Setting: During "Just the Facts" (Chapter 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little snippet about how Grace and Preston met... and the choice a Minuteman made that enabled a love story.

_ _

* * *

When Preston saw her come through those doors, he could have sworn the woman was the answer to his prayers.

The Minuteman was in awe of her from the moment they met- the tiny woman was obviously tired, but she still took a moment to smile at him like he mattered. When he realized she didn't know that he let all those people die in Quincy and didn’t scoff at him when he talked about the Minutemen, Preston realized that she was different from the others out there. “What’s your name?” he asked, eager to learn more about the woman with the dirty brown curls. “Most people in the Commonwealth won’t take on a deathclaw for a group of people they don’t know.”

“Well, good thing I’m not most people,” she said with a grin. “Wasn’t an issue- you looked like you were in a tight spot and I could help, so I did.” She extended her hand to him and his breath caught in his throat. “I don’t know if I fully introduced myself- name’s Grace. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Preston Garvey,” he said, mouth suddenly dry as he took her hand in his- despite the dirt, it felt soft and smooth to the touch. “Thanks for the assist, but why are you out here alone, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Don’t mention it.” Grace paused for a minute, looking at him nervously. “I’m out here looking for my son.”

Preston felt his face fall. “Oh… that’s horrible. What happened?” He noticed the way her hair fell in her face, and he wanted to reach over and brush it away. “Maybe I can help?”

“Short version- someone stole my baby,” she said. She talked as if she was reading off a piece of paper and he frowned- he knew that she was compartmentalizing- he’d done it more times than he could count, trying to put the past behind him. “So now I’m trying to find my kid.” Preston stared at her softly, and even though she hadn’t told him, he could see the survivor's guilt she carried- it mirrored his own, right down to the tension that simmered just below the surface.

He could tell that she was barely holding on and clinging to any hope she could find- he felt terrible that he couldn’t give her more positive news, so he carefully framed his answer. “Can’t say I’ve heard anything about a baby… but we haven’t been in the position to hear much lately, ma’am.” Both the grin on her face and the light in her bright green eyes fizzled out at his answer, and Preston wished he could do something, _anything_ to get it back. After a long stretch of silence, he reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder- the girl flinched slightly, then gave him a tight-lipped smile. Realizing his mistake, he awkwardly moved his hand away, searching for a better place for it and finding nothing- it hovered there for a moment until he remembered he owned a hat and touched the offending appendage to the brim of it. “But we really do appreciate the guide,” he said slowly, wishing the ground would swallow him whole right then.

“Yeah, because I’m sure you couldn’t have followed a road to a subdivision with a big ass sign in front without little ol’ me to help.” Then she frowned and turned to him, blowing that stray hair he so wanted to touch away from her eyes. “Wait, that’s not fair- I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be an ass… it’s just been a really long day and I’m kinda tired,” she said wearily. “I know you mean well and you’ve been through a lot- helping you out is the least I can do.”

“No, the least you could’ve done is left us to die with the Raiders,” he said, shaking his head. “Trust me, I’ve seen it,” he said darkly. “Not too many people out here care about what happens to anyone but themselves. It’s rare to find someone who still gives a damn- we need more folks like you.”

She turned her lips up slightly- it wasn’t quite a smile, but it made him melt just the same. “You a soldier or something? You sound like something out of an old army recruiting manual.”

Preston smiled and tried to match her wit. “I’m with the Minutemen- always looking for a few good members,” he said teasingly. “Not every day that you see a tiny thing like you take down a deathclaw,” he said with admiration.

“Is that what that was? I’ve never seen anything like that before in my life- thought I was in a bad horror movie for a second,” she said with a shudder. “But at least in this version, the monster stayed dead."

He stared at her for a moment, confusion on his face- he had no clue what she was talking about. _Also, how did she not know what a deathclaw was_? “Um, you mean you’ve never heard of a deathclaw?”

She shook her head. “I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure. Besides, not like I’m looking to do that again anytime soon, cause right now everything hurts- I think my age is starting to catch up with me.” She winced slightly as she reached down to chuck the dog on the chin. “Guess I gotta figure out my next move.”

“I hardly think you’re old enough to be worrying about that,” he said, desperate to see that smile again. When she finally gave him a small grin, he felt like he’d cracked a little bit of the code surrounding the woman who had saved their lives. “Well, in the meantime, do you feel like playing tour guide? Not sure I know my way around this place,” he said with a grin, “Wouldn’t want to get lost and have to have you save me again, right?"

“I suppose I could do that,” she said slowly. “I mean, what would people think if the lawyer had to save the soldier twice in one day. Nice chatting with you,” she smiled and waved as she walked away from the minuteman, obviously uninterested in conversing any further.

After Grace walked ahead, Preston was quiet for the remainder of the trip. Ordinarily, he would try to fill the silence- quiet tended to make him nervous… it allowed too many thoughts to creep back into his head. But this time, he found a sense of peace in the stillness- he just watched the girl with the dog, her curls blowing in the breeze as she moved steadily towards their destination.

When they got to the bridge leading into town, the minuteman finally understood what had changed for him- for the first time since Quincy, Preston didn’t feel alone.

—

Preston was walking through one of the houses when he heard the sound of glass crunching beneath his shoes. Startled, he looked down, only to find a picture frame beneath his feet.

_I have enough ghosts of my own... I don’t need to add to the list._

More out of respect for the dead than anything else, he bent down to pick up the object... and immediately dropped it back to the floor. The remaining glass shattered and skittered across the floor like sharp raindrops, but he was too shocked to care.

The woman in the frame was _her_.

It was old, faded from the elements and age, but the face in the photo was undeniably Grace. Impossibly, the woman who was currently outside with them was in the picture, wearing a wedding dress and smiling for the camera as the tall man in an army uniform wrapped his arm around her. Preston plucked the photo from the frame and put it in his pocket, carefully avoiding the remaining shards of glass and trying unsuccessfully to steady himself.

_Wait- was this her house?_

Though Preston felt like he was trespassing, he looked around the house and searched for anything else that may have survived the blast. In one room, he found a piece of paper with the name _Grace Richards_ barely visible under the faded ink, a few remnants of some dresses, and a set of dusty dog tags with _Richards, N_ engraved on them. In the other room, he found the remains of a crib, the tattered mobile still clinging to the top of it.

The crib reminded of their first conversation- _Someone stole my baby_, she’d said. _I’m trying to find him_.

He instantly began to feel like something was very wrong here- he wanted to say she was crazy, that she had stolen the identity of a dead woman, but he couldn’t- there was no way he could explain the photograph. Preston couldn’t see how she could be in the picture- no one had worn anything like this since before the bombs fell. His next thought was that she was a pre-war, but the only ones still around from before the bombs were all ghouls now... and she was definitely _not_ a ghoul. He leaned against the wall, trying to make sense of what he'd just found- his head hurt just thinking about it, so instead of fretting over things much bigger than himself, he decided to go and ask her. Hopefully, there'd be a logical explanation to put his mind at ease.

The Minuteman found her talking with Sturges as she lugged an old mattress out of one of the houses. Grace was huffing and puffing and he noticed a smirk playing across the lips of the mechanic- Sturges could’ve easily moved the mattress for the girl, but for some reason, she was doing it herself. Preston raised an eyebrow at the man in front of him. “Is there a particular reason we’re watching this show?”

Sturges just shrugged at the minuteman. “Marcy pissed her off and Grace decided that she should go do something else instead of backhanding the lady. Wasn’t gonna stop her- I’ve already seen her in action, so I just decided to sit back and watch.”

“How long has she been at this?” Preston asked. “She should probably slow down.”

“‘Bout an hour now,” he said as he settled back on the ground, chewing on one of the weeds growing nearby. “You’re welcome to tell her about it, but I’m not sure how well that’s gonna work out for you.”

“I‘ll take my chances,” he said, shaking his head and jogging over to her. “Hey, Grace- you got a minute?”

She glared at him. “I’m a little busy- everyone else here is sitting on their ass and not doing anything except bitching and moaning. How you managed not to murder this crew is beyond me.”

“Military training,” he said seriously. He wanted to ease into the topic, but couldn’t figure out a good way to start, so he just went right into it, tact be damned. “Um... I wanted to ask you something.”

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Listening,” she said carefully. “Just be advised that trying to get a date in the apocalypse isn’t gonna work out well for you.”

He gulped- she certainly wasn’t in a good mood. “I...” he reached into his pocket and grabbed the picture, then handed it to her. “I found this in one of the houses.”

Grace took the photo and her eyes glazed over. “That’s me and Nate,” she said softly. “Our wedding day, in fact.” She handed him back the photo. “I don’t want it,” she said flatly. “You should’ve left it where you found it.”

He frowned. “Grace... what’s going on with you?” Preston took off his hat and began to play with the brim. “I’ve been trying to sort through this for a minute, but the only thing I can come up with doesn’t seem possible.”

The girl cocked her head at him and smirked. “I’m interested to see what you came up with.”

“Well,” he began nervously, not wanting to be on the receiving end of her anger. “All the signs point to you being around before the war, but I can’t see how that’s possible.”

“_Ding_! Get the man a prize,” she said, rapping lightly on his head. “You’re smarter than you look, Boy Scout.” Preston wanted to scowl at the nickname, but when he noticed her smiling at him, he found that he couldn't be mad at her for it.

“How is that possible?” He wanted to reach over and touch her, then thought better of it. “It’s been over two hundred years since the war. How are you still around?”

“Don’t remind me,” she said dryly, clearly enjoying his discomfort. “To answer your question, I’ve been frozen in a vault for the last two hundred years. I only woke up once to watch this guy shoot my husband in the head and steal my son. Guess you could say I'm remarkably well-preserved. ”

“Oh,” was all he could say- there was nothing else he could add to the conversation.

“Yeah,” she replied, kicking a nearby rock and staring up at the sky. “I need to find someone that can help me... There’s gotta be someone in this godforsaken place that knows something, right?” She sighed, then turned to him. “Look, Preston... you're a nice guy and all, but I need to be alone for a little while. I'm not good company right now, so I’m just gonna keep hauling out junk before I hit someone- it’s been a shitty couple of days.” She pushed her hair out of her face and gave him a soft smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'll talk to you in the morning, ok?"

She turned and walked away from him and he watched her, unsure of what to do. The Minuteman wanted to try to talk to her, to see if she’d want a shoulder to cry on... but he decided he’d leave her alone and let her cool down- Preston knew better than most what it was like to lose everything. Sometimes, you just needed to be by yourself.

_I’ve got time_, he thought. _We can just talk in the morning._


	3. Turn Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace tries to find her way to Diamond City
> 
> Setting: During “Insurance” (Chapter 3)

_ _

* * *

_Shit... I guess this is what I get for taking directions from a farm full of robots._

I knew I should have turned around as soon as I saw the group of Raiders infesting the store, but I was too directionally stupid to find a different path. All I knew was that I needed to go to Diamond City- if the weird robot seductress told me to come to Raider Town, cross the bridge and take a left, then that’s what I was going to do.

_Or was it a right?_

Reading a map had never been my strong suit- when I would travel with Sam, she used to say I was the only person she knew that could get lost in a circle. Even though I wanted to punch her every time she said it, I couldn’t refute it, as I was well aware of the fact that I had absolutely no sense of direction to speak of. And now, as if by some fantastic cosmic joke, I was stuck at a bridge with a pack of Raiders at my back and a classic case of indecision. Out of all the things that I discovered might kill me out here, I never thought deciding between going left or right was one of them. Then I decided that the gaping wound in my side might be a significant factor in my upcoming demise and went back to focusing on where the hell I needed to go.

_Left or right, Grace. Which will you choose? _

Looking for any advice I could get, I turned to the canine at my side. “You got an opinion on this, boy?“ The dog looked at me and let out a low woof, clearly not interested in being the deciding factor for this debate. Both options looked the same to me and I gave up on deciding- after standing in that same spot for much longer than anyone with a functioning brain should, I chose to scurry across the bridge and hide instead of standing out in the open like a complete moron. Taking care to keep the pressure on my wound, I raced for the burnt-out building, desperate to find shelter for the night and temper the bleeding.

—

I shivered as I settled down for the night, as I wasn't interested in starting a fire and alerting even more locals to my presence. The pain was making me loopy, so while I could still function, I grabbed an old shirt out of my backpack and pressed it to my side, trying to quell the bleeding. Looking at the wound and deciding that I would be best served with a makeshift field dressing, I mourned the loss of my last piece of clothing and tied the fabric around my waist, hoping the wound would improve overnight.

_Ugh, I feel awful. Guess it’s not all that surprising, considering how much blood I just lost. _

Wordlessly, I reached into my pack and pulled out a questionable package of chips and began to eat, tossing a few to the dog ever so often. The stale chips tasted terrible, but they reminded me of days gone by, and I munched on them as I stared out the window, trying to decide what to do next.

I could see the lights of Fenway Park in the distance and felt a pang of regret as I thought about the last time I went to a game with Nate. My brain was racing a like a minute, but I tried to settle in for the night, hoping to catch some sleep amidst the pain. As I drifted off, I had an odd dream that twisted my memories around to the point I couldn't be sure if I was still asleep anymore. 

_He’d been sore ever since we got in, already irritated that I was rooting against the Red Sox. He was clean-shaven, wearing a Red Sox t-shirt and ball cap, crisp blue jeans, and perfectly clean tennis shoes, whereas I was wearing a Yankees shirt that way too big and cutoff shorts. My hair was in a messy braid, yanked under my Yankees cap, and my face was probably covered in mustard from the remnants of the hot dog I had just smashed into my mouth as I shot up to cheer for the home run scored against the Red Sox.  
_

_“Do you always have to be so silly,” Nate asked pointedly as I proudly strutted like a peacock and screamed with pride for my favorite team. My celebratory whoops were answered by a shower of popcorn from the people behind me, and I shrieked with joy. Nate was not as amused- he pulled his hat down even lower over his face as I pointed to my shirt and waggled my butt. The men behind me laughed, and I took off my cap and waved- we’d had a friendly rivalry since we’d arrived. The dour soldier sitting next to me was not as amused as I was, however, and he seemed determined to let me know.  
_

_“It’s my new mission in life to make you smile,” I responded, ignoring his glare- this had become a habit of mine. “But I seem to be failing miserably.” _

_“Yeah, well maybe the defense attorney shouldn’t be shaking her butt in front of her co-workers at a baseball game,” he muttered. “You are my wife, you know.”_

_“You Tarzan... me Jane,” I said mockingly, shaking the contents of a box of chocolate-covered raisins into my mouth. “Seriously, Nate- do you ever get tired of having a stick up your ass?”_

_Nate shook his head. “I have long since given up hope that the things that come out of your mouth will make sense,” he said, watching as one of the raisins missed my mouth and landed in his lap. Finally, he allowed himself to smile as he tossed the candy at me, launching the raisin directly into my bra. I stuck my tongue out at him as I fished it from my shirt, popping the chocolate into my mouth while Nate shook his head. “Do you ever get tired of eating the worst things you can find?” he asked, kissing me and tasting the remnants of chocolate on my lips. “I’m going to get fat by association if you keep this up.”_

_“I think I should be offended- that sounds an awful lot like you calling me fat,” I said as I poked him in his chest and straddled him, ignoring the wolf whistles of my colleagues behind us. “Shut up and enjoy yourself for once, would you? If you really don’t like my candy habit, you could just stop kissing me to get your sugar fix on the sly, Nate.”_

_His brown eyes sparkled with amusement as he wrapped his hands around my waist, making me laugh at what was a bold public display for the staunch military man. “I think I’ll manage,” he replied with a smile._

_“Good- I’m tired of being the only person with a sense of humor in a ten-mile radius.” Nate laughed and the Yankees scored another run- just as I was about to launch off his lap, he pulled me into a kiss and held me tightly to him, _ _preventing me from making a scene. “You did that so I couldn’t celebrate,” I huffed as he finally released me. _

_He smirked. “I had to do something- you seem to have an uncanny habit of making every situation go left, Grace.”_

I sat up, rubbing my eyes from sleep and trying to get my thoughts together. That dream was so much better than what had actually happened that day. I wished we had shared a date like that, but Nate and I never did had that carefree version of a relationship- In reality, he’d stormed off after the first time I'd teased him and left me at the park to get a ride with my co-workers. Blearily, I took stock of my surroundings- to my right, the dog was snoring slightly, and the first rays of sunlight were creeping into view. Nothing was out of place, so I shuffled awkwardly to my feet. 

_Time to get moving, Grace. _

I checked my side and breathed a sigh of relief- most of the bleeding was under control, but I had to be careful- one good bump could easily rip it open again. Wincing at the pain, I slowly packed my things and headed outside, finally able to decide which way to go. The dream had at least helped me come to a decision- since I wasn’t looking for the stadium to my right, it made the most sense to go in the other direction if I wanted to find Diamond City.

Sighing, I slung my pack over my shoulder and started walking to my left, leaving the ballpark and memories in the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was inspired by my first playthrough- I actually missed Diamond City because I wasn't reading the map properly and decided to say screw it and use the time to level up.


	4. The Merc for Hire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MacCready and Grace head out on their first mission together
> 
> Setting: During “Art is Subjective” (Chapter 8)

_ _

* * *

MacCready didn’t turn down jobs often, but he wondered if he should have made an exception when Hancock told him the girl was a vault dweller. The merc grumbled and wondered if the caps were worth it since she was probably going to be more trouble than anything else. He’d met Vaulties before- outside of the Lone Wanderer, they were all soft and easily freaked out, and more often than not, he’d found himself wishing that they’d just do everyone a favor and stay put underground. They didn’t tend to last too long outside the vaults, and he didn’t particularly want to be held responsible for getting Hancock’s latest love interest murdered because she tripped and ran from a molerat or something. 

_Maybe I can just find a place to stash her while I go and handle this job, he thought. That way she can pretend she’s useful and I can get paid._

He was not in the best mood when he approached the two women talking, but he realized that something was different as he got closer to them. The Vaultie was chatting with Daisy, just as easy as she pleased and he frowned- most of them took a look at the ghoul and decided it was a license to be a jerk, but she was laughing and listening to the old woman like she’d known her all her life. As he leaned against the desk and took a good look at the girl, he could understand why the mayor would want to get her in the sack, but he couldn’t figure out why he was taking such an interest in her. 

Then she spoke to him and instantly, he understood the attraction.

When he realized that she wasn’t going to just roll over and take his guff, MacCready decided that he was glad he went along with the job after all. Foul-mouthed and ill-tempered, the tiny girl matched him insult for insult, never wavering or tearing up as others did- instead, she treated him as if he was going to be the problem on the trip, which made him laugh even more. He was curious to see how much the Vaultie with the attitude problem could take before she ran back crying to Hancock- not everyone was a sharpshooter like him, and he’d had years of practice. He just hoped she wouldn't end up getting herself killed cause she was too busy running her mouth- he didn’t want to return the money. 

—  
“You need to watch where you’re going, kid,” she chided him as she sat by the tree, smirking at him. “I only have so many bullets and I don’t want to waste them all saving your ass.”

MacCready raised his eyebrow and settled back on the grass, pulling his hat down over his eyes. “You got lucky, Princess. It was a lucky shot,” he said with an air of finality as he waved his hand at her. “I’m not about to kiss your a-butt because you managed not to trip over yourself after a few hours.”

They hadn’t spoken on the trip except to snipe at each other, and he could hear the huff in her voice without even looking at her. “If I had the extra ammo, I’d show you a lucky shot, asshole. Just as well,” she sniffed in disgust. “It’s probably way past your nap time, anyway.”

“Is that a challenge I hear? Does the Princess think that she actually has something to offer?” He smirked beneath his hat, the corners of his mouth barely visible. “Cause I got bullets to spare… that is if you know how to use a real gun.” He removed the hat from his eyes to stare at her- just like he thought, she was glaring at him, arms crossed over her chest.

Grace's eyes narrowed. “Kid, not only can I use any gun you pull out that magic backpack of yours, but I can hit anything you can. Care for a game of Horse?”

He’d never heard of the game and he sat up, intrigued. “What the heck is that?” 

She started to say something, but then she bit her lip and smiled. “It’s pretty simple- basically, any shot you make, I can make.” She smiled and leaned back against the tree, folding her hands behind her head. “That is unless the little boy's scared that the scary old housewife is gonna beat him.” 

MacCready laughed. “Princess, you have no idea who you’re sassing right now. But since I ain’t got nothing to do but waste time, may as well humor you. This way you can go back and cry to the mayor about how the merc was mean to the poor little vault dweller.”

“Stop running your mouth and set up your shot,” she growled. Her eyes were practically slits at this point. “Five targets, any gun. I’ll even be nice and let you pick the gun since it’s your ammo we’re about to use.” She smiled. “I apologize in advance for the ass whooping you’re about to receive, though.”

He went to set up the bottles for their first shot. “You know, for such a tiny thing, you’ve got a seriously big mouth on you.” MacCready wanted to make her first shot an easy one and let her feel like she had a chance to win. “Here’s hoping you’re a better shot than you are a navigator.” He showed her a pistol and smirked. “You think you can handle this?”

She glanced at the pistol and the bottle in disgust. “Seriously? Are you trying to waste my time? I thought you wanted a challenge.” Grace gestured at the bottles. “That’s way too close- are we at a firing range or something? I thought you were a sharpshooter,” she said mockingly.

“You talk a big game for someone who hasn’t shot yet, but ok,” he said, moving the bottles further away. Then he gestured to them. “That good enough for you, Princess?”

“It’ll do,” she said. Then she frowned and stared at him. “Why do you keep calling me that, anyway?”

“Because you’re soft and you think you’re royalty, duh,” he said. “Figured I may as well address you by your proper title.” He gave her a mocking little bow. “You ready?”

Grace scowled. “Definitely. I was gonna let you win, but now? Fuck your manhood- it’s not like your balls ever dropped anyway.” She stood at his side and folded her arms. “Are you gonna run your mouth or are you gonna shoot?”

He felt his lips twitch up in a smile- he’d riled her up. If she had a chance before, she certainly didn’t now. “Alright,” he said, firing a clean shot into one of the bottles- the sound of shattering glass confirmed the shot, and he turned to look at the woman. “Don’t hurt yourself, now- I know you housewives don’t tend to like weapons.”

“Fuck you,” she said, firing. Her target shattered in seconds, just as his bottle had done, and she handed him back his pistol. “Next time, pick something a little more challenging. If I’m getting the chance to play in your ammo stash, then at least let me use one of the fun guns.”

“Nice shot,” he said, only half-joking. “You might not be a total waste of space after all.” He set up the second target and took his rifle off his shoulder. “This has a little more kick, so be careful,” he warned. In truth, he had modified the gun to give it a bit more kick, but he wasn’t going to tell her that- he was hoping the gun would knock her on her butt and down a peg or two. “Firing,” he said, lining up his shot and cleanly taking down his target. “Your turn, he said with a smirk as he handed her the rifle. “Remember, there’s no shame in backing out.”

“Whatever, kid,” she said, taking a moment to peer through the sight and line up her target. The dog bristled at her side, and he saw her frown for a moment, staring at her companion. After a moment, she set her lips in a hard line and fired- he laughed to himself as he didn’t hear the telltale clatter of glass. But, he was confused when she handed him the gun, looking extremely pleased with herself. “I think we’re done,” she said, grinning at the mercenary. 

“I think so, too, considering you missed.” He peered through his binoculars, and sure enough, the bottle was still standing. “And after the second shot, too- what a shame.”

“Look harder,” she said. “Try looking up that ridge, about fifty meters out from the target. Then I want you to apologize to me.”

He sighed, but he decided to humor the girl, training his gaze on the area she mentioned. At first, he didn’t see anything, but then he noticed a black pile on the hill and zoomed in to get a closer look- a wild dog was on the hill, dead from a headshot. He could feel her eyes on the back of his neck and he knew she was practically squirming with pride. 

Try as he might, he had to give it to her- the girl could shoot. But there was no way he was going to let her know that- she’d be insufferable for the rest of the trip. He decided to split the difference and hope she wouldn’t notice. “Fine- maybe it wasn’t a lucky shot earlier."

“Told you,” she said with a smile, standing up and wiping off her jeans. “C’mon, let’s get back on the road- I want to get back to town before dark.” She extended her hand to him, helping him up off the grass and waiting for him to lead them in the proper direction. He smiled at the friendly gesture and laughed to himself at the girl who was surprising him more and more by the minute- he decided then and there that this was another vault dweller that he could respect, maybe even get along with.

_Looks like traveling with her might be a bit more fun than I first thought. _


	5. It's getting hot in here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fahrenheit and MacCready chat about what happened with Bobbi
> 
> Setting: During “Caps and Capers” (Chapter 9)

_ _

* * *

Fahrenheit couldn’t figure out what it was about this girl that had Mac and Hancock eating out the palm of her hand. Her dad had always been easily distracted by chems and the prospect of a good lay, so she sort of understood where his head was at most of the time, but she didn't get what was going on with MacCready. Usually, the merc was as level-headed as they came- Fahr could always count on him to take point on any job and look at things with a critical eye. But ever since the Vaultie entered the picture, she wasn’t exactly sure what the fuck was going on with anyone lately.

Frustrated, she left the girl with Hancock, hoping he would just nail her and move on- the mayor was never the type to keep a girl around for long once he got what he wanted, so the redhead figured Grace would be out of her goddamn hair by morning. But just in case she wasn't, Fahr decided to have a chat with MacCready at the Third Rail- she needed to see what the hell the merc knew about the situation, especially since the Vaultie seemed to be at the center of all of the redhead's headaches lately.

“This is the second time you’ve pointed a gun at me, Fahr,” MacCready said dryly as he sipped his drink. “You keep it up and I’m gonna start thinking you don’t like me.”

“Yeah, well you’re lucky I haven’t shot you by now- the quickest way to get a bullet in your gut is by hitting on me.” She smirked at him and ordered a drink, sliding into the seat next to him. “For someone so smart, you’re pretty fucking stupid sometimes."

“A mistake I only made once, remember? Between the gun in my face and the looks from Magnolia, I got the hint pretty fast, Fahr.” MacCready gestured for Whitechapel Charlie to bring him another drink, then he turned to her. “So what’s got your panties in a twist lately? You’re even more murder-y than usual.”

“Stupid ass Hancock chasing after the Vaultie, that’s what's up,” she growled. “Man can’t think straight when there’s a fresh piece of ass around." She shook her head and drummed her fingers on the table in frustration. "I swear, I should’ve fucking killed her and saved us all a heap of trouble. Stupid broad,” she muttered as she chugged her drink.

“Eh, I dunno, this one ain’t all that bad,” MacCready said carefully. “I thought she was a softie, but this Vaultie ain’t like the others. Got a little more fight in her than they usually do. Decent shot, at least.”

“She’s a distraction,” Fahr grumbled. “Hancock’s too busy thinking with his dick to see the bigger picture- he’s wasting time on her and not on the town.”

The merc gave her an incredulous look. “Seriously? When have you not known the mayor to have ten different things running through his head at once? I think he’s still on the ball, Fahr… he had enough sense to pay me on the sly to make sure she didn’t get her fool head blown off on that job.” He grinned, then finished his drink. “Besides, we all know you’ve got this town under control- why are you so worried about what he’s got going on, anyway?”

“Keep that up and I'll shoot you,” she said in a low voice. “Look, I ain't got time to keep dicking around." Fahr took a sip of her drink, hoping to change the subject. "How about you tell me what the hell happened tonight, huh?” 

MacCready sighed. “Bobbi ambushed us after we left the Rail. Figured it gave me the chance to see what was up and make a few caps, so I took it. I've been seeing Bobbi nosing around and talking cr-crud way too much to not investigate it." Fahr searched his face for deception, but as usual, there was none there- lying had never been his style. Realizing that she was watching him and waiting for him to continue, the merc took a sip of his drink and resumed his story. "She asked us for help clearing out a few beasties, but as you well know, there was a bit more to the story than that. I mean, always knew Bobbi was nutty, but it turns out she was even crazier than I thought- I'm just glad you guys got the message. So,” he said pointedly, "while you're itching to crucify Princess for this, she didn’t have anything to do with it- that was all me."

She grimaced and sipped her drink, trying not to acknowledge that the merc was right. “Are you under the Vaultie's goddamn thumb too? Am I the only one that sees that this bitch is bad news?”

“No more than you are, Fahr,” he said playfully. “She’s just less likely to murder folks…well, if unprovoked- plus, she’s a decent shot, especially for a housewife.” He grabbed his drink and chuckled to himself. "Speaking of that, wasn't that run-in today wild?"

Magnolia had arrived, staring out in the crowd and scanning the crowd. The singer caught the redhead's eye and winked, making Fahrenheit smile to herself. She could feel MacCready watching them, but since he didn't say anything, Fahr let out a chuckle as she shook her head. "I can safely say I wasn’t expecting her to decorate the storeroom with bits o’ Bobbi this evening. Was that part of your plan, too?”

He laughed right along with her. “Not a fu-freaking clue. I did warn her before we left that to kill Bobbi first if things went pear-shaped, but I never thought she'd go ahead and do it. She didn't even hesitate," he said with admiration. "Turns out Princess ain't such a bad partner to have at your back, Fahr."

The redhead snorted. "Congratulations, she can follow instructions. Her fucking dog obeys commands, do you guys want to go sniff his ass all day, too?"  
  
"If the dog had thumbs and could make a shot like that, then yeah," MacCready replied, signaling for another round. "Hey, she ain’t your the typical Vaultie- the Princess didn’t hesitate out there. Most Vaulties can't get their heads out of their a-butts long enough to make a decision like that. You gotta admit, she ain't useless, Fahr.”

“I’m just tired of everyone thinking the sun rises and sets in her ass.” Fahrenheit huffed and crossed her arms, staring at the merc. “Mark my words- she ain’t gonna be shit but trouble, Mac.”

MacCready just laughed. “I’ve never seen you this pissed about one of the Mayor’s flings before. If I didn’t know what the deal was, I’d say you were jealous.” Fahr shot him a murderous glare and he raised his hands in mock surrender. “Easy, it was only an observation... please don’t kill me.”

She huffed. “I’m not jealous... It’s just...” she paused, taking a drink and staring while Magnolia began to croon to the audience. As she stared at the woman on stage, Fahr remembered the last time she got together with the singer- Magnolia caught the look on her face and smirked at the redhead. Licking her lips, Fahrenheit just sipped her drink and settled back into her seat, smiling to herself- she'd make a point to talk to Magnolia later. Wiping the smile off her face, she turned back to MacCready. “It feels different this time," she said firmly. "I think something’s up and I can’t put my finger on it- I feel like shit is about to go down.”

“Probably is,” he agreed. Fahrenheit looked at him sharply and he chuckled. “What? Did you want me to lie to you? Never have- ain’t my style, and besides, I don’t have a death wish. You saw it too, right? When we got back, Hancock looked _worried_.” Mac shook his head. “I ain’t seen him like that in all the time I’ve known him.”

“You caught that too, huh?” Fahr groaned. “I swear, she's gonna make him soft, Mac- I knew we should’ve just let her die when we had the chance.”

“For what it’s worth... I’mma go with no,” MacCready said cautiously. “You of all people should know that caring about something doesn't make you soft. Plus, It ain’t a bad thing for people to change, Red.”

“Call me that again and it’ll be the last thing you do, Mac,” she growled. “I’m just saying, we had a nice little life here- why would he go and fuck it up for a stupid Vaultie?” 

“Fahr, let me ask you a question.” Mac scooted his chair away from her a little and she glared at him. Noticing her irritation, the merc laughed, returning to his chair to the original position. “Everyone knows you and the songbird got a thing going on, and you ain’t any less murderous. So, if you can have a sweetie and still be the meanest girl in town, why can’t he?”

“Because she ain’t like us, Mac!” she said, banging her fist on the table. “I don’t trust her and I want her out of my town!” 

At her outburst, the bar got quiet- some patrons had begun to look at them with interest. MacCready let out a groan and put his head in his hands. “People are staring, Fahr,” the merc said quietly. “Keep your voice down.” 

“I don’t give a fuck,” she hissed. “That bitch-“

“Ain’t the issue and you know it,” he interrupted. “Look, there ain't nothing wrong with wanting more, Fahr. Whether it's warming his bed for the night or something else, we both know the Princess ain’t going nowhere until the mayor wants her to, and even that might be debatable- she'd probably plant her feet in the ground and dare him to shoot out of spite,” he said evenly. “So what’s the point of getting all riled up?”

“Are you sweet on her?” Fahr asked with a grin. “Maybe you should take her off my hands and save me the trouble.”

“Just because I'm young doesn't make me stupid, Fahr. What makes you think I’m in such a big hurry to die out here?” He shook his head. “I made a joke about it once and Hancock almost bit my head off, so I’ll pass on getting my a-butt handed to me and stick with the friend zone, thank you very much. ”

"Fuck... Mac, are you telling me that he's actually serious about this chick?" MacCready gave her a 'what do you think' look and the redhead groaned, knocking back the last of her drink. "So, yeah, we're all fucked." Fahr gave the merc a hard look, thinking about something he'd said. “Hold on a second, now you’re friends with the girl? How the hell did that come about?” 

He shrugged. “She ain’t like everyone else, so it was kinda nice to talk to someone who didn't know anything about all this crud going on out here-turns out hanging out with the Princess was fun.” He finished his drink and grinned at the redhead. “Look, all I'm saying is take a minute, Fahr- today was fu-not good, but everything worked out, so let's just take the win." He stood up and patted her on her shoulder. "Look, instead of getting all in your head about the mayor, go and work your magic with that gorgeous gal up there, and worry about the rest of this tomorrow.”

She scowled. “I swear, if you weren’t one of the few people in this town that had some sense, I’d have killed you a long time ago.”

"You know life would be pretty boring without me around to harass you, Fahr." He tipped his hat and smiled at Fahrenheit like he knew something she didn’t. “You know you love me- besides, what would you do without me, talk to Mr. Conversation over there?” he said cheekily as he pointed to Whitechapel Charlie. 

He had a point- it had been a long day, and Fahr knew that could use the stress relief that her songbird would be happy to provide her with. “Whatever- get the hell out of here,” she growled. Her eyes narrowed at him, but she felt her lips turn up into a smile. 

"Enjoy the show- I want details tomorrow," he said.

Fahrenheit didn't dignify the statement with a response- she just smirked and flipped him off instead.


	6. Reading is Fundamental

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy and Dogmeat discuss starting a book club  
Setting: During “The Best Detective in the Commonwealth” (Chapter 11)

_ _

* * *

Daisy was cleaning up for the evening when Dogmeat suddenly began to bark excitedly and wag his tail. The ghoul gave the dog a curious look and suddenly she could see the faces of Grace and MacCready coming over to her stall. Dogmeat let out a happy woof and ran to the girl, jumping up and licking her face with excitement. Daisy laughed at the sight and leaned against the counter. “Well, I’ll be damned- Glad you made it back, Grace. It’s been way too quiet around here since you left.”

“In Goodneighbor? Somehow, I doubt that." Grace let out a soft giggle. “Sorry, Daisy, I know it’s late, but are you still open? We came across a bunch of stuff out there and as you know, I’m broke with a capital B, so any trading we can do will only serve to keep my sorry ass alive a little longer."

Daisy inspected the items Grace had sat on the counter, then headed to the register and began counting out caps. “I can make an exception, just this once,” she said with a wink. “How was your trip? Did you find what you were looking for?”

Grace made a non-committal gesture with her hand. “Not exactly. We met Nick, but no answers yet.” She paused for a minute, then smiled. “By the way, John and I were able to return that book of yours to the library, and we cleared out the Super Mutants.” She looked exasperated. “Seriously, people, why does no one warn me about the crazy shit that you got running around out here? I’m gonna die from shock if I'm not careful.”

MacCready frowned. “You and the Mayor took on all those creeps? Why didn’t you wait for backup? I would’ve helped.”

The girl laughed in MacCready’s face. “I can’t afford you, remember?” She smiled at the old woman. “Besides, we were close by- figured we may as well see what we could do about it.”

“Under normal circumstances, you’re right. But if it’s for Daisy, I’ll make an exception.” He sighed, then leaned against the counter. “But, I’m glad to know that there’s at least one person out in the Commonwealth that isn’t a selfish ba-jerk."

Daisy was barely listening to the exchange. “You… cleared out the library? You mean I can head over and get new books to read now?”

Grace shrugged. “Yeah, if you want. If I’d known what you wanted to read, I would’ve tried to grab it while I was there.” She smiled sheepishly. “I mean, I’m not walking around in bloody rags thanks to you, so returning a book was the absolute least I could do. Plus, you’re my friend, who’s being awesome to my buddy while I handle things out here. Just say the word and I’ll pick up whatever you want.”

Daisy almost started crying right then and there. The old woman used to spend many a happy day in the old library before the war, but all that changed once the bombs fell. Here was a girl that barely knew her and yet, she’d done more for her in a few weeks than most people had in the last two hundred years. Not only had she given her a companion, but she had also given her the ability to relive the happy portions of her childhood once again. Just as she was about to turn away so the kids couldn’t see her break down, she felt a wet nose nudge her hand and looked down to see Dogmeat staring at her and wagging his tail. She smiled at the dog and patted his head, thankful for the interruption of her thoughts and bringing her back to reality. “Grace, you’re a gem- thanks for that. You have no idea what this means to me.”

Grace looked thoughtful. “Having something that connects you to your past is a powerful thing- to me, it makes you feel like you aren’t so alone out here. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have actively lived through the last two hundred years. I’m so lonely out here I can barely stand it and I got to sleep through all the bad shit.” She smiled sadly. “But you make me feel less alone, Daisy, and if I can give you even a fraction of the happiness I feel because of your friendship, then I’m gonna do it, even if it is just as simple as returning a book."

Mac looked at her, confused. “Wait a minute, Princess… are you telling me you’re as old as my favorite gal over here?”

Grace nodded. “Maybe even older. I’m 229. You guys aren’t wrong when you call me a Vaultie- I was frozen in that vault for the last two hundred years. Just thawed out before I came to Goodneighbor.”

The merc let out a low whistle. “Sh-shoot- that’s rough.” He turned to the merchant. “Did you know all this, Daisy?”

She nodded. “Yep. Day one conversation for me. You’d know it too if you ever stopped flapping your gums and listened every once in a while.” She smiled at the girl, who was now patting the dog. “Been kinda nice to have someone else to talk to that understands what it was like before, even if they are still just a youngster.”

Grace looked at her, confused. “Someone else? I thought you were the only one from before the war?”

“Oh yeah, there are a few of us in here. You got ol’ Kent, who spends his present by living in the past at the Memory Den, and you got that old Vault-tec rep in the Hotel Rexford. Neither one of them is worth a shit when it comes to conversation, though Kent is sweet enough, I suppose.” Daisy gave a mirthless laugh. “Figured it was my punishment to be stuck with only those two mopey assholes as the only ones that remembered life from before.”

“Welp, now you got me, though I’m not sure that’s much better,” the girl said with a rueful laugh. “I’ve been told before that my mere presence is punishment enough.”  
  
“HA!” Daisy retorted. “If that’s the case, those bastards wouldn’t know fun if it bit ‘em in the ass.” She walked over and put her arm around the girl before she thought better of it- most humans didn’t like to be touched by ghouls, but Grace leaned into the embrace, making the old woman even happier. "Fuck ‘em- we’ll have our very own party out here,” she said with an air of finality. “We can have our own Commonwealth book club. Hell, we’ll even let Mac come if he wants.”

“Just because I’m rugged and handsome doesn’t mean I’m uncultured,” MacCready said with a grin. "I’ll have you know that I’m beauty and brains in a delicious heaven-sent package.” He winked. “I’m just too delicate of a flower to give it up… unless Daisy finally gives in to my charms."

Daisy swatted at the kid and Grace grinned. “And if we supply chems, maybe we can convince John to come.”

“John, huh?” Daisy asked with a grin. “Looking to spend more time with him?” The girl blushed and Daisy gave her a knowing smile. The old woman knew that Hancock had a thing for her, she was just happy to see that Grace felt the same. Daisy knew it would crush Hancock to finally open up to a person that didn’t share his affections- she was glad to know that she still had an eye for these types of things. “Don’t worry, I’m sure John would love to come… if you’re there.”

MacCready stuck his finger in his mouth and made a gagging noise. “I’m going to be sick if you two keep that up. I’d so prefer not to be out here discussing the mayor’s love life- I hear it’s bad for my life expectancy.”

“Fair enough- wouldn’t want anything to happen to such a delicate flower,” Daisy said mockingly. "Anyway, what books should we get? I don't know what you like to read."

"Yeah, I'm kinda trashy- I love romance, sci-fi, and crime novels," Grace said. Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she wore a slightly mischevious expression. "We should guess what books folks out here would be interested in- I'm kinda curious to see what you guys come up with."

"Not that most folks would actually do it, but thinking on it might be fun." Daisy pretended to look thoughtful, then got a wide grin. "Let's start with Mac- whatcha thinking, Grace?"

The girl screwed up her face in concentration, squinting at the merc and putting a delicate finger to her lips. "Um... I'm gonna say... Fantasy novels. I can see him reading a book on King Arthur and swinging a practice sword in his room when no one is watching."

"I'd prefer a good comic book if we're being honest," MacCready said with a smile. "You get me a few Gronak comics and some snacks, we'd be right on our way to having a grand old time." He gave Grace a conspiratory look. "So, Princess... what about Daisy over here?"

"I think me and Daisy might be on the same page," Grace said, gesturing to a weathered copy of _Wuthering Heights _she had laying on the counter. She turned to Daisy with a grin. "What about Kent? You said he lives in the past- his choices might be interesting."  
  
The old woman laughed. "That's an easy one. Silver Stroud comics and crime novels, hands down. I think John found him a set of old case files and I didn't see him for a week." Daisy got a wicked grin on her face and turned to the girl. "So, what do you think _John_ would like to read?"

Grace blushed at the mention of his name. "Um... history novels, books on leadership," she paused for a moment, then flushed again. "I think he'd have done well as a lawyer or a salesman if he was around before the war- the man is convincing and smooth, but he's also intelligent, so maybe the classics? I can _so_ see him getting ideas from those or yelling at how stupid people were- it might be entertaining." Daisy gave Grace a knowing smile, chuckling to herself at how smitten her friend was. "Um, yeah... so, anyway, enough about John," she stammered. "Mac, what do you think Fahrenheit would read?"

"Ooh, that's tough, I gotta think on that," MacCready mused. "Um... I'm gonna say she's gonna join Kent on the crime novels. She might want to learn new ways to torture folks that get on her bad side." He gave me a conspiratory look. "So, considering how she's not your biggest fan, let's not invite her on Murder Mystery Monday- you might go missing by Tuesday, Princess."

Grace laughed. "If that's the case, I think we'd need to invite Nick to that session just to balance out the universe- he'd be a murder mystery guy, hands down. Then he could foil whatever nefarious death plot she's got planned for me. Heck, knowing Nick, I wouldn't be surprised if he was in a few of those books."

"You got a point, Princess," MacCready said with a smile. "Hey, I got a tough one for you... what about... KL-E-O?"

The girl paused for a moment, then grinned. "Art of War," she replied easily. "The robot would probably love to figure out new ways to destroy her enemies, but she's another I don't necessarily want getting any ideas. She may take it as a how-to manual."

“Damn straight," Daisy said, wiping away tears of laughter. "Who knows- maybe Dogmeat and I will take a trip over there one day, pick up some of these interesting selections for the book club.” When she said it, Daisy looked at the girl, hoping that she wouldn’t take her friend away- the dog had been her constant companion, and the ghoul was remiss to being alone again. Whether she knew it or not, Grace had Hancock, so she hoped she would let her at least keep her new friend a little longer.

“I can’t think of a better rest stop for him than here,” Grace said with a smile. “Long as you don’t mind if I enlist his services from time to time.” Suddenly, she looked at MacCready and cursed. “Shit, I just remembered that Nick and John are waiting on us- we should probably head over to the bar.” She gave a sheepish smile to the old woman. "Sorry, Daisy- we didn’t mean to keep you out here."

Inwardly, Daisy sighed with relief- her and her furry friend would get to hang out a little while longer. “No worries. Dogmeat and I were just gonna settle in and finish our book- gotta keep him rested up before you guys set out again.” She scratched the dog behind the ears and he let out a contented woof. “He likes the classics, you know."

“Can’t argue with good taste,” Grace said seriously, chucking the dog on the chin. “Take care of my friend, ok Dogmeat?” The dog barked in agreement and trotted over to Daisy’s side. The two waved and walked away, and Daisy stared down at the dog sitting at her feet. Dogmeat looked at her and thumped his tail on the ground, and the ghoul knew that all was well.

Daisy could see a good book, a glass of wine, and a tasty brahmin steak for two in her future, and she sighed with happiness. Nothing was getting to her without going through her furry friend, and for the first time in a long time, she was happy. Maybe they’d head to the library in the morning and pick up a new book to read together.

After all, she had a lot of reading to catch up on.


	7. Sleuthin' aint easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper, Nick and Grace break into Kellogg’s house  
Setting: During “With a little help from your friends” (Chapter 13)

_ _

* * *

Nick watched the girl as they headed towards Kellogg’s old house. She was walking with Piper, who was firing off question after question about his rescue from the train station. The dog trotted at the detective's side, sniffing the air ever so often before running up ahead and barking at the slowpokes, almost as if he were telling them to hurry up. Grace was a riddle to the detective- he often wondered if the girl would ever share just what she was thinking with anyone other than Hancock. Right now, Grace was so closed off that he couldn’t be sure exactly what she was thinking at any point in time, though she was always polite enough to everyone. 

_Well, almost everyone,_ he thought with a chuckle. _That guard certainly rubbed her the wrong way, didn’t he?_

Nick was still tickled by the exchange between the girl and the guard- he hadn’t seen a human be so passionate about a ghoul since John left Diamond City. He knew that if he wasn’t there, the two would have come to blows- while seeing Grace wallop the guard might be prime entertainment, getting banned from the town wouldn’t have helped her cause. As he watched the two girls chatting, Nick smiled to himself at the irony of the situation. _John would find the one person who’s just as righteous and foolhardy as he is. With these two together, life is certainly going to get interesting. _

Finally, Grace looked at Piper. “Hey Pipes, I noticed that you don’t like John too much, do you?” She kept her tone and expression light, but the detective could hear the question she wasn’t asking- D_id you and John have something going on before? _

Piper shook her head. “Nope, not at all. Though if I had to choose between him and McDonough, I’d choose him by the smallest of margins.” She shuddered. “That man is irritating, Blue- I don’t know why you’re hanging out with him."

“He’s a good guy, Pipes- I wouldn’t have met you and Nick if it weren’t for him, remember?” Piper’s only acknowledgment of her statement was a soft huff- the dog barked in response, licking her hand. Grace laughed, then looked thoughtful for a moment as she stared at the reporter. “I mean, I just don’t get it- you seem to seriously dislike the man. Did you and Hancock hook up once or something?” 

Nick almost tripped over his own two feet and Piper looked like she was two seconds from choking on her tongue. “What!” Piper looked incredulous and horrified all at the same time. “Me? _Hancock?_ Hell no! I wouldn’t give him the time of day with a broken watch.” 

That’s certainly one way to put it,” Grace said, laughing. “But Pipes, I don’t get it- why are you so angry with him all the time? I’ve only seen people at each other’s throats like that when they used to date each other. I mean it’s not like it’d be any of my business if you did, but I was just curious.”

_Hell, now I am too,_ Nick thought._ Wouldn’t that just beat all?_

There was a sneer on Piper's face when she responded to the girl. “Nothing so glamorous, Blue. Hancock just rubs me the wrong way- that’s all. The man thinks he’s too cool and too smart to listen to anyone and runs a town full of degenerates.” Piper sighed. “There’s a ton of stories about him and only a few of them are good ones. Just be careful, ok?”

Nick knew Hancock’s history, and while the reporter wasn’t exactly wrong, she also wasn’t being fair. Granted, Hancock was usually a bit… loose with his affections, but based on what he was seeing lately, the detective wondered if the ghoul might finally be ready to grow up a little. Fortunately, Grace started laughing before he could interject. “Piper, thank you for your concern, but to his detriment, John has been a perfect gentleman.” Piper groaned and Grace grinned, shoulder checking the reporter as they walked along. If someone from the outside were to look at the four of them, no one would know that they were planning on breaking into someone's house- it just looked like a simple stroll through Diamond City amongst friends.

Soon, they came to the end of a hallway and Grace stopped at an old rusted door. Nick walked over and nodded. “Yep, this is where I tracked him to last time.” The detective jiggled the handle but to no avail. “And yep, still locked. I hope you got a plan, Grace, cause this is one lock that I can’t pick. Believe me, it wasn’t for lack of trying.”

“I don’t know if we’re ever that lucky,” Piper said, staring intently at the lock. "Guess it’s too much to ask for to have him be at home and napping with the door open, huh?"

“Well, I guess this is where I come in,” Grace said with a bright smile. "Guys, keep a lookout, will ya?” The girl had a slight gleam in her eye as she yanked a bobby pin from her braid and cracked her knuckles. “This right here is the shit I live for. Sometimes I think I may have missed my calling as a thief."

“You live for breaking into people’s houses? Sure you don’t live in Goodneighbor?” Nick teased. Piper had the decency to blush- she could see he was taking a dig at her. Ordinarily, Nick wouldn’t needle the reporter, but sometimes Piper needed a reminder that everything wasn’t as rose-colored as McDonough made it out to be. 

Grace either didn’t catch the snarky comment or chose to ignore it. “Technically, I do live in Goodneighbor, Nick. You slept in my room, remember?” 

“Oh I remember,” Nick said, teasing the girl. “Funny, I didn't think you minded sleeping in John’s room..” He finally got Grace to blush and Nick laughed. “Hey, I’m just teasing you, sweetheart- I’m just not used to hanging out with safecracking lawyers, is all.”

Grace bent down to examine the lock. “Well, I’m not used to hanging out with metal detectives, but I’m out here having a kickass time with one, so don’t spoil my joy,” she said with a grin. “Damn, I thought this lock was going to be harder to pop,” she pouted. “I kinda miss gym locks- those were fun to crack.”

“What’s a gym lock and how do you know how to do all this, Blue?” Piper asked, glancing around to make sure no one was watching them break into the old house. “I’m with Nick- I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen someone so enthusiastic about picking a lock before.”

Grinning like an idiot, Grace slid her bobby pin in the keyhole. “Well, it was a skill of mine before I came to Boston. My stepdad taught me how to pick locks, and my uncle helped me learn some basic hacking skills. Super useful out here, but in retrospect, it probably wasn’t the type of thing I should’ve been learning.” She stuck out her tongue and cocked her head, listening intently to the lock. “The locks you have out here are cool, but we used to have gym locks- I guess you’d call them combination locks. You had to guess the right numbers to open them- we used to place them on our lockers in school. Those were a challenge, but it was worth it to be able to open the locker of some prissy bitch and toss all her designer shit on the floor.” She gave the two a rueful grin as the lock popped open. “I fully admit to not being the best kid, but I like to think I used to do the wrong thing for the right reasons.”

“What could you possibly consider to be the right reason to do something like that, Blue?” Piper asked curiously as they stepped inside the dusty house. Grace inhaled and let out a loud cough as Piper wiped off a trail of dust with her fingertips. “Sounds pretty mean to me.”

Grace shrugged. “I suppose... But they weren’t nice, either. Hell, a prep school in upstate Jersey wasn’t exactly the safe educational haven my dad was expecting. Imagine my surprise when people weren’t nice to the mixed girl,” Grace intoned sarcastically. 

“Why would they give you grief over that?” Piper asked as she looked around the house. “That’s a pretty stupid thing to get wound up over.”

“Back in the day, some people acted like having a white dad and a black mom meant that I was the goddamn spawn of Satan,” she said bitterly. Unfortunately, Nick knew exactly what she was talking about. In his heyday, it was the Chinese, but he had the feeling that the same principle applied. “God, I hated those kids,” she said angrily. “They used to call me names, steal my stuff, throw things at me… I guess that’s why I still hate bullies to this day. Besides, I wasn’t the only one they were picking on- I was just the only one that would give it back to them.” Grace began to look around the house, seeing if there was any trace of Kellogg or the kid. “Eventually, I got tired of fighting with them, so I decided to find other ways to even the score.” 

“Brains over brawn,” Nick said with admiration as he peered in a desk, trying to see if he could find any papers or documents. “Would this be where the lock picking and hacking came in?”

She nodded as she bent down to look under a chair. “Yep. You’d be amazed at what you can find out about people by their lap-“ she paused, then caught herself. “By their computers,” she said. Nick frowned, but didn’t say anything- he wondered what she had stopped herself from saying. “People write down all sorts of things they shouldn’t. I made it my business to find out all those things and… disseminate the information.” She stood up from the floor, obviously not finding what she was looking for. “Let’s just say by the end of the year, there was no amount of money or influence anyone could wield to keep me in that place. Mom sent me back to public school, and life got so much better.” She grinned at the two, dust covering her jeans. “Like I said, I wasn’t exactly the best kid."

“Sounds like an understatement, but long as you don’t go giving my sister any ideas, we should be fine,” Piper said with a chuckle. While they were searching, Dogmeat had begun barking in a corner of the room, and the reporter walked over to see what all the commotion was about. When she came to a stop by the dog's side, he quit barking and jumped on the wall, pawing at it incessantly. Nick looked up from the desk as Piper began running her fingers along the offending wall, and suddenly, she frowned. “Hey, Blue- you may owe the dog a treat… I think there’s something over here.” 

“No shit?” Grace ran over to the girl and beamed when she noticed what the reporter had found. "Piper, you are _so_ the apocalypse version of Nancy Drew, you know that?” 

“No idea what that is, but it sounds like a compliment, so I’ll take it,” Piper said with a grin. “So, now that we know there’s something he didn’t want us to find, how do we get in there?”

“I may be able to help with that,” Nick said from across the room. “I found a button on this desk over here. Anyone want to take bets that the strange hidden button works with the funny wall over there?”

“It’s either that or it’s gonna blow us all to Kingdom Come,” Grace said wryly. “But hey, I’m feeling reckless, so let’s go for it. And by the way,” she said, pointing her finger at her companions, "if I get blown to smithereens, I’m haunting everyone, just so you’re aware.”  
  
“Duly noted,” Nick said with a grin. “Gracie, you ready?” 

"Definitely." She put her hands on her hips. “So I get a nickname from you now? About time,” she said, laughing. “I was starting to think you didn’t like me.” The detective just grinned and gestured for Grace to turn towards the wall as he pushed the button beneath the desk. To their surprise, the wall flipped up and a whole new room appeared. Dogmeat bolted ahead and Grace looked around in shock, grinning like a loon as she peered into the newly exposed room. “Just like motherfucking Nancy Drew,” she said in amazement as she ran inside.

Shaking his head and smiling to himself at her enthusiasm, Nick walked over to help the girls search for more clues. 


	8. Loopholes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam decides to help Hancock  
Setting: During “Down the Rabbit Hole” (Chapter 15)

_ _

* * *

Samantha had a bad habit of biting her nails when she was nervous. Her stomach had been twisting in knots for the last few hours, and when she looked down at her hands, her fingers were practically bleeding. Her long dark hair was messy from running her fingers through it, and at this point, she was pretty sure she’d bitten a hole in her bottom lip. Usually, the sisters balanced each other out- Sam tended to be a bundle of emotions, whereas you had to practically conduct an interrogation to get anything resembling a feeling out of Grace.

Once, she’d asked her why she acted that way and Grace had simply shrugged. “No sense in getting mad over something I can’t control or wasting energy I could use to fix the problem. Besides,” she’d teased, "you’re messy enough for the both of us.” And, as usual, she was right- Sam knew her sister would light the world on fire for her, but as a general rule, Grace was not the type to stress about too much. Sarcasm and deflection were her weapons of choice, and she used them with wicked precision. Though she was five years younger than her sister, she had always been close to Grace. However, she never realized how connected they were… until now. 

Now things were different, and for some reason, Sam could _feel_ her sister. The experience was overwhelming, which made her super nervous- the older girl never really got upset. Since Grace had left home, Sam had only picked up flashes of feelings from her, but now, her sister's emotions were causing Sam to light up like a Christmas tree. Sam was so uneasy that she was ready to crawl out of her skin, and to her father’s chagrin, she was pacing around the living room, trying to figure out a way to solve this problem.

Her father looked up from the books he had spread across the table. “Sam, care to share what’s wrong? You keep that pacing up and you’re going to wear a hole in the carpet,” he teased. “I’m not covering for you when your mom pitches a fit about it, either."

She tried to smile at his joke, but she couldn’t. Instead, Sam pushed her hair from her face. “It’s Grace, Dad,” she answered slowly.

When he heard the emotion in his daughter’s voice, he looked up in alarm. Though Grace was his stepdaughter, Dean had never made a distinction between the two girls, and Grace leaving hadn't sat easily with him. “What’s wrong?” 

Sam shrugged helplessly. “She’s really torn up and I can feel it.” She sat down on the couch and put her head between her legs, trying desperately not to puke. “Dad, I think something’s wrong with Grace.” Dean tented his hands and stared at his daughter. Sam could feel him trying to figure out what she wasn’t telling him- he was always perceptive, which tended to make for some awkward situations when Grace thought she could talk her way out of whatever trouble she’d gotten into. Sam remembered many a time where she just sat back and laughed to herself when the two of them would butt heads, though right now she wasn’t sure if she was glad for his intelligence. “I… think I should check on her,” she said after a moment. 

Dean raised an eyebrow at his youngest daughter. “Didn’t your mom say you aren’t supposed to interfere with what your sister is doing?” 

Sometimes, she wished she could be more like her sister- Grace had no problem doing whatever she thought was right, consequences be damned, but Sam was almost an obstinate rule-follower, even when it was to her detriment. She shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, but…” She looked at her father, pleading with him to understand- he was more like Grace when it came to rules, which she sometimes suspected made the girl even more endearing to him. “I know what Mom said, but I really think she needs help. It’s bad… like the time she stole the car and got pulled over bad, but worse.”

“Well, that’s not good.” He gave Sam an amused look. “Wait, didn’t you tattle on her back then, too?” 

“_DAD!_” she said in exasperation. “I was eleven- I didn’t know any better!” 

He shrugged and Sam glared at him as she got up and paced the floor some more. “Whatever you say, Pipsqueak,” he said with a smile. “Point is, you thought your sister was in trouble and you did something about it. And,” he pointed out, “you were right. So why are you hemming and hawing now?”

She threw up her hands in exasperation. “Because Mom said-"

Dean pointed a finger at her. “That’s not a reason and you know it, Sam,” he said sharply. She knew he was right- if this had been him, he would be halfway to saving her uncle by now, whereas she was frozen with indecision over a rule. “Look,” he said, his tone softening as he walked over towards Sam, guiding her to the couch and sitting next to her. “One day, you’re gonna have to learn that it’s more important to think for yourself than blindly follow the rules. Yeah, I admit, you get into less trouble your way. But,” he said, stroking her hair. “you’re also not going to make a difference, either.”

“When I interfere, it hurts,” Sam said softly as she began to pick at her nails nervously. “And, Grace is gonna be _pissed_ at me if I mess with things- you know she hates it when Mom and I do stuff like this.”

“If I only did the things people approved of, you’d be short one uncle, Sam,” he said with a smile. “And yeah, he’s gotten mad at me for what I’ve done before, but I don’t regret it one bit, especially when the alternative is worse."

“I’m also scared cause Mom specifically told me not to bother Grace,” Sam admitted. “Besides, I'm not all that good at it- what if I do something wrong and mess everything up? I don’t want that on my conscience, Dad."

“Yeah, I can see that- your mom is pretty scary.” Her father patted her shoulder, then paused for a moment. “But… maybe you could find a loophole?” 

“Huh?” Sam looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“Is there any way you could help her indirectly?” Dean looked thoughtful. “I mean, your mom told you not to help your _sister_, but she _didn’t_ say anything about helping someone who isn’t Grace, right?"

Sam got a look of understanding on her face, then paused for a second to stare off into the distance. After a moment, her bright green eyes returned to normal and focused on her dad again. “Well, yeah… she’s got other people with her.” Suddenly, her eyes glazed over once more and her face fell. “Oh no,” she said softly. 

Dean stroked her hair as she leaned against him. “What is it?” 

“There’s a branch coming up,” she said quietly. “If something bad happens here, it could mess up everything else.” She turned to her father, agitated. “Dad, I’m scared- what should I do?”

“God, I don’t envy you right now.” She glared at her father and he sighed, hoping to ease his daughter’s mind a little. “Tell you what- I’m gonna go risk certain death and distract your mom for a minute. While I’m gone, you should probably handle this situation.” He kissed his daughter on the top of her head. “Remember, sometimes you just have to do what’s right, ok?"

She swallowed and nodded. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Anytime." Dean rose from the couch and gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry- I know you’ll find a way to fix it. You’re too much like your mom not to,” he said with a smile. "Love you, Pipsqueak.” 

Once he was gone, Sam resumed her pacing, determined to figure out how she could help her sister without screwing things up too badly. 


	9. Cover Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MacCready and Piper wait for the rest of the gang  
Setting: Before “Down the Rabbit Hole” (Chapter 15)

_ _

* * *

Piper watched Nick, Grace, and Hancock enter the fort and felt a pang of guilt for leaving her new friend with Hancock. She didn’t trust the ghoul, but she had to admit that he was good in a fight and seemed to be playing the long game when it came to Grace, and she knew that Nick would be there in case something went wrong. So, she took a deep breath and looked at MacCready. “You ready?”

The merc smoothed his hair beneath his cap and adjusted his gun, aiming at the first turret. “Always. Let’s get ready to provide these idiots some cover fire, shall we.” He looked at her pistol. “Speaking of ready, I should probably be asking you that question- you’re about to be the most popular babe in the area in a few minutes.” 

Piper gave him a hard look. “My name isn’t _babe_… it's Piper,” she said tersely. “And I wouldn’t have agreed to this if I didn’t think I could do it.” 

MacCready shrugged. “Whatever you say… _Piper_. Look, when I hold up my hand, you stop shooting, ok?” 

“Got it,” she said, readying her gun and fighting her irritation. “Let’s do this.”  
—  
Once all the turrets had been destroyed and Grace and her team were safely inside, Piper sat on the ground, exhausted. She moved her arm and winced- a bullet had grazed it while she was heading for cover. Piper stared at the wound and gritted her teeth- it wasn’t deep, but it hurt like hell, and she didn’t have any more Stimpaks in her bag. Normally, she was prepared to the hilt, but she didn’t want to give Hancock any reasons to suggest she be left behind, so she’d just thrown some things in a bag and ran._ I’m paying for that mistake right now,_ she groaned to herself. _Hancock isn’t even here and he’s still fucking shit up for me. _

“Looks like you got tagged out there,” a voice said over her shoulder. “Need some help?”

She turned to see the merc standing over her and peering at her shoulder with concern. “It’s fine, I- _OW!_” Piper screamed as he touched her forearm, causing pain to shoot up to her shoulder. “Why the hell did you do that?”

He smiled at her. “Because I could see that you were about to lie, and I needed to see how bad you were hurt,” he replied, extending his hand to her. “C’mon, let's go sit over there and get you patched up- Princess might take offense to you passing out over here.”

Using her good hand, she reached for him and stood up. “Easier said than done,” Piper said dryly. “I was the idiot who didn’t bring enough Stimpaks.” She reached in the bag and pressed a few extra sheets of paper on her bleeding arm. “Guess I’ll have to make due.” She chuckled helplessly at the pools of blood that had formed on her sleeve. “At least my coat is already red, right?”

MacCready laughed and began searching in his pack. “Yeah, your coat sure does complement the bloodstains, Pipes.” After a moment, he pulled out a Stimpak and waved it at her. “Don’t tell anyone I was nice,” he said as he jutted the syringe into her arm, flooding her body with relief as the chemicals began to knit the wound back together. “Can’t have you bleeding out all over the place from a graze. If you died from that, it’d be embarrassing.”

“That it would,” she said with a laugh. “I appreciate the save, MacCready. Soon as we get to a town, I’ll replace that for you.”

He made a face. “Ugh, haven’t you noticed that no one out here calls me that? Call me Mac,” he said.

The corners of her mouth twitched upward. “I don’t mind your name... _MacCready_,” she said, rotating her arm and checking her range of motion. “Thanks for the help.”

“I’d say anytime, but I’d be lying.” He placed a hand on her back to keep her steady, and Piper started to flush at his touch. His blue eyes critically looked her over, checking for other possible injuries she hadn’t told him about, and she noticed he hadn’t shaved in a few days. Usually, he looked extremely young, but the scruffy beard he was sporting lately made him look older and a bit more rugged. Piper hadn’t paid much attention to him before, but she had to admit that he was rather handsome. “You ok now?” 

Realizing that she was staring, she blushed and tried to deflect his attention. “Obviously, I’ve been better, considering I just got shot,” Piper replied, trying not to stare at the merc. “But am I going to die the wimpiest death ever? Nope.”

“Glad to hear it,” he replied, guiding her to a nearby tree where Dogmeat was waiting and offering her a seat. “Hey, at least now you have a badge of honor out here, Pipes- congratulations, you’re now an official field reporter.”

Piper smiled, trying to ignore how close he was to her and how much she wanted to touch him. “Guess I am.” She settled against the trunk and started searching in her bag. “Want one?” Piper asked, offering him one of the sandwiches she pulled out. “I can’t buy you dinner, but I can at least feed you.”

He took the sandwich and smirked. “You’re feeding me and we’re all alone out here- did this just turn into a date?” Piper turned as red as her coat and he laughed, settling down next to her. “Just kidding, Pipes- I accept your payment,” he said, waving the sandwich at her. “I think we’re even now.” 

“I think I owe you a whole lot more than a sandwich for that Stimpak, Mac.” Piper took a bite of her sandwich and frowned. “What’s your angle?”

“Don’t have one,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders as he ate. “But if it makes you feel better, how about we chat to make up the difference?” He smiled at her, and it wasn’t his normal cocksure grin- it was softer and looked like it came easier to him. “I know information is worth its weight in gold to a reporter like you, so it sounds like a fair trade to me.”

“That it is,” Piper murmured thoughtfully. “Sounds fair,” she said, smoothing her hair and turning towards MacCready. His gaze was soft and intense, causing her to lower her head and hide her smile. “So... what do you want to know?” 

He put a finger to his lips. “Hmmm... rare opportunity to be able to interview a reporter, so I better not squander it, right?” He turned to the dog, who was watching the two of them and patiently waiting for scraps. “I don’t know- what do you think I should ask her first?” The dog cocked his head to the side as if he was considering an answer, then barked. MacCready laughed, breaking off a piece of his sandwich and tossing it to Dogmeat. “Yep, my thoughts exactly.” He turned to the reporter, that same smile playing across his lips. “So, who you got waiting for you back home?” 

Piper wasn’t expecting the question and flushed to the roots of her hair. “Um... just my sister, Nat- it’s just us. Well, not just us,” she stammered. “We live in Diamond City so there’s a ton of people. But they don’t live in our house or anything, just the two of us live there.” She realized she was rambling and silently cursed herself for sounding like an idiot. “So... yeah,” she said finally. “Yep, just me and my sister.”

“Good to know,” he said, trying not to laugh. “Nice to see that you don’t live in a community tent or something,” he teased. “I’d think a mind like yours needs a little space to think now and again.”

Piper raised her eyes to his. “A mind like mine?”

“You’re curious and tough,” he said softly, gazing at the fort in the distance. “And you write a lot, so those ideas have to come from somewhere, right? Having too many people around makes it hard to think... at least it does for me, so I’d assume you’d like your space.”

“Well, yeah, I guess you’re right. I never really thought about it,” she said thoughtfully. “What about you? I see you mixed up with this motley crew- don’t you ever just want to be left alone?”

“Not if I can help it,” he replied honestly. “I like the distractions,” he said, smiling at her. “Can’t say I mind the company, though- traveling on the road with you guys has been... interesting.”

“Just interesting?” Despite her best efforts, Piper found herself flirting, and she shifted to get a better look at him. To her amazement, she noticed a blush creeping up his cheeks. Feeling vindicated, Piper continued. “I guess we need to define what you mean by interesting then, don’t we?”

MacCready adjusted his collar and swallowed nervously. “Yeah, I suppose we do.” He leaned a little closer, and Piper felt her breath hitch in her throat. “I guess what I mean is-“

“_MAC!”_ Nick yelled, jostling them both out of the moment. “We need you over here- Hancock’s been shot!” 

MacCready gave her an apologetic look as he raced down the hill towards Grace and Nick, who were supporting a groggy-looking Hancock between them. Piper sighed as she stood up, brushing off her jeans and adjusting her coat. Dogmeat gave her a look as he licked her hand in apology and Piper sighed- the moment had passed, and she didn’t know if it would happen again. _Oh well,_ she thought._ It was probably a bad idea in the first place. No sense in dwelling on it._ But, as she looked at the merc racing towards the others, she couldn’t help but feel a small twinge of regret for not getting to hear what MacCready was about to say. 

_This would happen right now_, she thought. _Of course- leave it to Hancock to constantly ruin everything._


	10. Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace eases some of Hancock's fears  
Setting: During “Will the real Grace please stand up?” (Chapter 17)

_ _

* * *

Hancock surveyed the train station and shuddered- these places gave him the creeps. Ferals lived in the tunnels, and he _hated_ ferals. It wasn't that they were hard to take down- in actuality, they were some of the easiest enemies in the Commonwealth to eliminate. No… it was the fact that they were a walking reminder of what _could've_ been, or even worse, what _might_ happen to him in the future. Every time he came upon one, he felt a small pang of guilt when he took it out- even if he wanted to, he didn’t know their story and couldn’t stop to think about it in the heat of the moment. Even still, fighting them picked at him just the same. 

_Someday this might be you,_ he thought to himself. _You might be one of these mindless motherfuckers, yowling and hissing at the first thing that moves. How do you think you’re gonna feel if it happens, Johnny? Is Grace going to be the one to put you down or are you going to try to take her out first in a mindless rage? Guess you should’ve thought about all this before you decided to chase that delicious little high, huh? _

As he eliminated the roamer racing towards them on their right, Hancock pushed the thought out of his head- no use thinking about things like that now. Right now, he had a job to do, and that was to help her get back over to Sanctuary. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, watching as she aimed a nearby feral. Her shot was effortless, and she gave him a sad look as she leaned against the crumbling pillar. “I don’t know what this says about me, but this is all starting to feel strangely normal now.”

Hancock moved next to her, quickly checking her over to make sure she was ok. Satisfied that she wasn’t sporting any injuries, he relaxed a little. “What is?"

She gestured to the tunnel, splaying her arms wide. “This… the battles, the destruction, the killing… sure, it bothers me, but I thought I would feel worse about this.” He watched as her shoulders slumped forward. "So, what does that say about me, John? Did I turn into a psychopath somewhere along the way?”

“Nope,” he said as he wiped a smear of dirt from her face. “You turned into a survivor- there’s a difference.”

“Doesn’t feel like much of a difference,” she replied sullenly.

The stale air and quiet of the train station seemed to settle around them with the weight of her words, and Grace turned away from him as she adjusted her backpack. Hancock frowned, lightly grabbing her arm as she started to walk away. “Don’t do that, Sunshine… not to me, ok?” 

She smiled at him, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Do what? Leave a ghoul-infested train station? Why? You planning on making a home down here or something?”

Of all the things she could’ve said, she would bring up the one thing that made him want to run out of his own skin. Hancock tried to play it off, but he felt the blood drain from his face and he had to bite back the urge to snap at her. “Not a chance in hell- not my style.” 

“Oh, I forgot- crumbling historical structures is all the rage in housing nowadays,” she said lightly, but he could tell from her posture that she caught his irritation. She extended her hand to him, smiling even brighter. “Ready to tour a more acceptable location? I hear our real estate agent has a crumbling boathouse we just have to check out."

He took her hand and forced himself to smile as they walked towards the exit. “Anything for you, Sunshine. C’mon, let’s get outta here- I’d like to take this party to a more suitable location.” For a second Hancock could’ve sworn her eyes narrowed slightly as he pulled out an inhaler of Jet, but fuck it- the danger had passed and they were finally getting out of this god-forsaken hellhole.

They’d been traveling in silence for a bit when Grace decided to speak again. “Why do you think they go feral, John?”

Hancock swallowed, trying to eliminate the sudden dryness in his throat. “No one knows. Just happens, I guess.” 

He'd hoped his curt answer would make her drop the subject, but she continued the conversation, oblivious to his discomfort as she prattled on. "I mean, is it because they can’t handle what happened to them?” He felt his stomach begin to churn and he tried to shut out the sound of her voice, but she was lost in thought, rambling as they walked. “Maybe it was it something about the blast that did it?” His hand began to clench around hers, but she ignored the increase in pressure and kept going. “Maybe it was gradual… did they just not know what was happening until it was too late? God, do they remember who they were? Do they-“

Something inside him snapped- he grabbed her by her shoulders, spinning her around to face him. “I’mma need you to stop that… right now,” he said sharply. When her eyes widened and her gaze flickered to his hands on her shoulders, he immediately removed them, taking a step back. “Sunshine… please just stop, ok?”

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” she said quietly. 

“S’ok,” he replied, patting her on the shoulder. "No harm done.” He tried to look away, but Grace pulled him in for a kiss, causing his body to relax at the feel of her lips on his. When she broke away he sighed, resting his forehead on hers and relishing the quiet. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, savoring the closeness and the warmth of her skin on his. “I didn’t mean to snap at you."

Grace raised her head, still holding him close, “I’ve noticed you get twitchy every time we run into them, John.” Her eyes were full of concern as they searched his face. “Talk to me- what’s wrong.”

Hancock wanted to tell her, but he was scared that if he did, she’d start thinking about the risks and run far away like she probably should- she had enough to worry about without adding his neuroses to the mix. “Like I said, it’s nothing."

He tried to pull away, but she clung to him tighter. "Are you scared of that happening to you?” she asked softly. Before he could respond, she stopped him, putting a finger up to his lips. “Remember, rule number one, John.” 

Hancock wanted to protest, but she was right- the lie had been on the tip of his tongue and he felt horrible about it. He’d never lied to her, and he didn’t want to start now. Sighing in defeat, he closed his eyes, his response to her barely a whisper. “Yes.” 

She smiled, and it was like she was picking through his thoughts, “That’s not going to happen to you,” she said, her voice full of conviction.

“It might,” he replied, pulling away and staring out into the distance. “Nobody knows why some go feral and some don’t. Can’t say what causes it.” 

Unable to look at her, he started walking away, but she reached out and grabbed his hand. “I’ve got a theory,” she said softly. 

He paused but didn’t turn around, trying to keep himself together. “Are we adding doctor to your list of talents too, Sunshine?”

“I think they ran out of things to live for,” she said quietly. “I think they saw what happened to them, thought that they lost everything or everyone they cared about, and just… crumbled.” He could feel her eyes on the back of his neck, and he sighed. “But that’s why I don’t think it’s going to happen to you, John- you got too much to live for. There are too many people out here who care about you.”

Finally, he turned around, still holding her hand. “Are you one of them?” He looked at her and he wanted to tell her how he felt, but he knew they still had to talk about some things first. But selfishly, he wanted to hear her say it- no matter what happened, he wanted this for himself.

“Always,” she said without an ounce of hesitation. “No matter what, I’m here as long as you want me, John."

He allowed a smile to play across his lips. “That’s good, cause I want you here with me.”   
  
“I’m glad to hear that… let’s see if you still feel that way at the end of this trip,” Grace replied as they started to walk out the tunnel and into the daylight.

While Hancock was quiet, his brain was going a mile a minute as it tried to process all the thoughts running through it. Even though he didn’t know where to start, Hancock knew that he had to let Grace know how he felt- otherwise it was going to overwhelm him. _ No more games,_ he thought. _No matter what she tells me, I ain’t goin’ nowhere. _


	11. Echoes from a time before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hancock discovers why Grace came to the Commonwealth
> 
> Setting: During “Will the real Grace please stand up?” (Chapter 17)

_ _

* * *

The fire had long since gone out, but Hancock wasn’t cold. He had his arms wrapped around Grace, and he was content to stay like this with her for as long as he could- they had a long trip ahead of them and he knew that moments like these would be few and far between. She shivered in the night air, and he leaned over to whisper in her ear, his breath warming her skin. She closed her eyes, savoring the sensation, and he felt the chill of her body dissipating as she pressed closer against him. “Now why couldn’t you tell me all this when I had you all to myself in Goodneighbor?” Hancock asked as he nipped her earlobe, sliding his fingertips up and down her side like feathers and enjoying how she responded to his touch. “I had a perfectly good bed there.” 

She twisted her lips upward into a mischievous smile. “Because I love you?”

He closed his eyes, taking a moment to bask in her words. “You know, I’m scared to tell you that won’t ever be the wrong answer, cause I think you’ll use it against me,” he said with a smile. “In fact, I know you will- my girl fights dirty."

“Then you know me well,” she said, reaching a hand up to touch his cheek. “Couldn’t let you off that easy, could I?"

“I think you thrive on making my world difficult, Sunshine.” A few strands of hair had escaped from her braid, and he twirled them around his finger. “But I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Grace closed her eyes and let out a soft yawn. “Neither would I, John. Finding you was one of the best things about coming here.” 

When she said that, Hancock remembered that she had never told him what happened to bring her to the Commonwealth and found himself curious. “Speaking of that, what did make you decide to come out here? What made you leave all that behind for this?"

“To be fair, the Commonwealth was in a different state when I came here, remember?” She reached over and took his hat, placing it over her eyes. “Besides, that’s a loaded question.”

Hancock knew Grace well enough to recognize the dodge, taking his hat back and placing it on his head. “You can get the hat back when you give me an answer.”

“You’re no fun.” She crossed her arms and sighed, staring off into the distance. “How much time do you have? It’s a pretty long story.”

“I’ve got all the time in the world,” he said, stroking her arm. “So, what’s the deal, Sunshine?” 

Grace sighed, closing her eyes. “Well, it started right after I finished grad school…”

_ _

* * *

_Grace, age 23_

I thundered up the stairs and poked my head into Sam's room, where she was laying on her bed, reading something or another on her phone. Her feet were bare and her legs were crossed, feet tapping along to a song she had playing on the radio. “Sam!” I cried. "Can you help me find my keys? I got a date in an hour and I gotta get the hell outta here.”

Sam didn’t look up from her reading. “I’m not a LoJack, Grace.” I frowned and she sighed, finally putting her phone down to stare at me. "I seem to remember you staggering through the closet at about 4 o'clock this morning, drunk as hell and almost passed out on a pile of winter coats.”

“This… is probably true,” I said carefully. "If so, at least I remembered to close the other door. Wouldn’t have happened if you took the stick out of your ass for a night and went out like a normal person.” I muttered as I flopped down on her bed and tickled her feet, causing my sister to squeal. 

In response, she started kicking and I moved, trying to avoid the flurry of feet aimed at my head. Finally, she caught her breath and reached down to grab me, pulling me with her as we flopped against the bed. She stuck her tongue out at me, and I tried to grab it before she could retract it. As usual, I was too slow, and she laughed. “For a big sister, you really suck sometimes, you know that?”

“I do not suck!” Then I gave my sister an evil grin. “Correction, I do suck… just not the way you’re thinking."

Sam hit me with a pillow and I giggled, slapping her with a teddy bear she had on her bed. After a few rounds, she threw up her hands and gave me an exasperated smile. “Gah, you are incorrigible, Grace- how the hell am I related to you?”

Folding my arms under my chin, I gave her my best teacher voice. “Well, Sam, when a man and a woman really love each other-“

“Shut the hell up,” she said, laughing at me. Eventually, her face settled into a mask of concern. “You ok, GraceFace? You’ve been out of sorts since you finished grad school. This kinda stuff is out of pocket, even for you, and I’m worried. Talk to me- what’s going on here?” 

“I thought you were supposed to be the carefree eighteen-year-old and I was the stuffy older sister,” I groused. “Seems like our roles got reversed somewhere along the line.”

“You’re running,” she said quietly, grabbing my hand as we lay in the bed, the radio still playing. “What’s got you like this?”

I sighed- there was no point in lying to Sam- she’d figure it out regardless. “I don’t have a purpose,” I said sadly. “I did the school thing, but what’s left? I stay here and pretend that I’m not the reject in the family-“

“You’re not a reject, Grace,” Sam said with a smile. “An asshole, yes, but not a reject. You’re brilliant and fearless- I’m pretty sure there’s a purpose you just aren’t seeing yet.”

I raised my eyebrow at her. “Is this something you know or something that you _know_?” I asked warily. “With you and mom, one can’t be too sure.”

“Thought you didn’t want to know anything about things like that,” she teased. “Something about ‘I make my own destiny blah-blah motivational poster blah-blah strong woman blah-blah stupid fortune-telling witches'… I distinctly remember something like that.”

I shoved her gently as I rose from the bed. “Shut the hell up, kid- I’m going to hunt for my keys in the pile of coats and head to the club, where I will proceed to make out with the hottest guy in the bar to make me forget every single one of my troubles for the evening.”

It was her turn to raise her eyebrow. “Didn’t you say you had a date?”

Picking up a pair of earrings from her dresser and putting them on, I winked at my little sister. “Oh, Sam… I always try to have a backup plan.”  
—  
_Oh god_, I thought. _My head is on fire- why is the sun so goddamn bright?_

I was in bed, clad only in my tank top and underwear, but all I wanted to do was yank the covers over my head and hide from the day. I had a splitting headache, and I wanted nothing more than to stop the headache from hell that was threatening to split my brain in two like a coconut. I thought about staying in bed, but getting some fluids so I wouldn’t die sounded like a better option, so I groaned the entire time I started to head for the kitchen. I didn’t even bother to put on more clothes- Dad would be at work by now, so just like usual, the house would be cold and empty. I wasn’t exactly broken up about it- we’d been at each other’s throats the entire time I’d been home, only stopping when he’d gone to work or when I left. I’d been crashing with random people I’d met for the last few weeks, and he wasn’t exactly thrilled about this development. I supposed I could go stay at mom’s house, but the thought of being around all these people who had actual responsibilities set my lizard brain on edge. _No thanks- I’ll stick with the grumpy old man and wallow in self-pity_. It had been serving me fine for the last few months, so I figured I had a decent shot of making a real go of it. 

So, my shock was genuine when I saw my mom and dad sitting at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and staring at me as I wandered into the kitchen in my skivvies. Not only should no one have been in the house- the only time the two of them sat in the same room with each other was for celebrations… or when I fucked up. Given the cold stares that were aimed in my direction, I assumed it was the latter. 

“Before you start bitching,” I said, holding up a finger, “let me get a drink and head back to my room to put on some clothes. Well, unless you guys want to have this heart to heart with my nips staring at you- it’s quite chilly in here.” I turned towards the fridge and heard my mom groan, but I ignored it- whatever happened was likely to set her to nuclear, so I might as well enjoy the show and see how much I could dish out before she murdered me. 

Judging by the daggers I felt on my back, her threshold was already threadbare, and I swallowed, wondering just what the hell it was that I’d done now.   
—  
As I pulled on my trusty NYU sweatshirt and shorts (I figured if I reminded them that they had invested significant dollars in my education, Mom might view it as a bad financial move to smite me on the spot), I went back into the kitchen. Secretly, I was hoping that Dad would’ve been called to work on an emergency that needed his complete and undivided attention, but to my dismay, he was still sitting in the kitchen. Mom was still glaring at him with a ’this is all your fault’ look and he was staring at the ceiling, looking like he was trying to come up with a way to hide my body after they murdered me. I tried to be as quiet as possible, but it was of no use- when he heard my footsteps, Dad fixed me with an icy stare. “Grace,” he said coldly. “We need to talk."

_Fuck it, in for a penny, in for a pound._ “Thanks for that, Captain Obvious- it really wasn’t clear. I was under the impression you guys just wanted to sit together and have a nice cuppa.” I smirked at my dad and watched him turn an interesting shade of puce. “So, since you want to talk and I’m obviously hungover, what was so important that it got you two to sit in the same room without fighting?” 

Dad turned to glare at Mom. “That’s your daughter,” he growled. “You talk to her.”

Mom smirked at him. “Oh, so when she’s being a shit, she’s mine, but when she’s doing what she’s supposed to, she’s yours? I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way. Go on,” she said, waving her hand at him, “You’re so brilliant… wow me with your parenting expertise- It’s worked so well so far.”

I was starting to feel my stomach sink to my feet- if they’re talking like this, I must’ve really cocked something up this time. Trying to backpedal and diffuse the situation, I grabbed a cup of coffee and quietly sat down across from them, folding my hands on the table. “So,” I said, taking a sip and hoping someone would start talking sometime soon, “what is this all about?"

Dad turned to Mom, who just rolled her eyes and gestured to him to continue- she was planning to dig her heels in on this one, which was decidedly not good. I felt like a teenager again, but considering I was twenty-three years old, this wasn’t a good thing- parents don’t get together to discipline you when you’re an adult. He sighed, raking his hands through his hair. “Grace, do you remember how you got home last night?”

I paused mid-sip, my hands clenched around the coffee mug. As I sat there and thought about it, my eyes widened- I realized I didn’t have a clue how I got back in my bed. I shook my head slowly- the mere act was causing the room to spin even more than it already was. “Can’t say I do.”

He leaned forward. “Where’s your bike?”

I paled. Had I been driving drunk?_ No,_ I thought to myself._ I’m an idiot, but I’m not that stupid._ “Um… I assume where I left it?"

Dad put his head in his hands- obviously, this was not the direction he was intending to take this conversation. “I’m going to start this conversation off with the fact that you leaving a ten-thousand-dollar bike in a dive bar parking lot overnight was the smartest part of your whole evening.” He slid his phone over to me, tapping his finger on the screen. “I think you want to play that video, Grace.”

I pushed it back to him. “No thanks- internet videos are an addiction. Besides, I prefer funny cat videos.” 

He turned to my mom. “This is empirical evidence of what I’ve been dealing with since she got home,” he said, frowning. “Now do you believe me?”

Mom shrugged. “Never said I didn’t believe you. I was just choosing to ignore it- figured you could use a taste of your own medicine.” He shot her a scathing look and mom sighed, sliding the phone back towards me. “Play the video, Grace.” 

I gulped. Mom wasn’t fucking around- I could see it clearly in her face. While I could get away with being an asshole to my dad, trying the same thing with her was bad for my life expectancy, so I pressed play on the phone. To my chagrin, there was a video of me yelling up a storm at a guy at the bar. I was clearly drunk and slurring my words, leaning against a pool table for support. The guy on the video was muffled, but he was obviously saying something I didn’t like, because the next thing I knew, I had reached over and grabbed a pool cue and walloped him in the face with it, causing him to crumple to the ground. Quickly, I paused the video, sliding the phone back and tried for the denial. “That’s an unfortunate video, but I’m afraid that’s not me.”

“Oh really?” Mom walked over behind me, holding the phone. “Let’s watch a little more, shall we?” She pressed play, and I watched in horror as I jumped on top of the guy, screaming ‘_my motherfucking name is GRACE, asshole!_ I bet you’ll remember that shit next time!’ The video then proceeded to show two bouncers plucking me off the guy, kicking and screaming random obscenities as they dragged me away. 

“Well, shit.” I managed to choke out. “My mistake. I guess that was me. My apologies, but at least the camera caught my good side, right? But hey, I did look pretty powerful beating the crap out of him- he was at least three times my size, you know."

“You really don’t know when to quit, do you,” she said with a bit of a smirk. “Hate to break it to you, but you really fucked this one up, kid. Lucky for you I was able to convince him to let it go.” She shook her head. I knew you were being a moron lately, but this right here marks a new level of idiocy."

“It would appear that way, yes,” I responded. “But, since I’ve been appropriately chastised and blessedly thankful for the lack of assault charges, I think I'm going to go and call a ride to get my bike.” I stood up and patted my dad on the shoulder as I started to leave the kitchen. “Really good talking with you, super appreciative of the parenting work we did here today. Have a great morning, guys.” 

Mom shot daggers at me with her eyes. “Sit down. Now.” I didn’t even get a chance to comply with the request- my ass flew back into the chair before I could take another step. At that point, my brain finally caught up with my mouth and I realized I had gone one level too far- I had just tap-danced on her last nerve. Dad was eyeing Mom warily- he was never too keen on her doing her thing while she was around him, and though they bickered every chance they got, she usually respected his wishes. This could mean only one thing- _Shit. Was. About. To. Get. Real._

Immediately, I tried to apologize. “Mom, before you say anything-“ Before I could continue, it felt like all the air was sucked from my lungs- I gasped and clutched at my throat, clamoring for breath, but I got nothing- my eyes widened in terror. _Holy fuck, this woman is really going to kill me!_

“Nia!” Dad screamed, grabbing mom’s arm. “Stop! You don’t have to kill the girl!” 

Mom narrowed her eyes, but finally, I was able to gasp for air, collapsing on the table from exhaustion. “Just in case I didn't make it abundantly clear just then, I don’t want to hear another fucking word out of you until I ask you for it. Is that clear?” I nodded quickly and she continued. “Right now, you are on a path of absolute self-destruction- you’re reckless, impulsive, and if you weren’t my child, I would have let you screw yourself over years ago.” She paused, but I didn’t dare try to say anything. "Now I know you’ve got a bit of a chip on your shoulder from when you were younger, but Jesus Christ, Grace- you’re twenty-three. When the hell do you plan to grow the fuck up?”

Nervously, I looked at Dad, who tapped Mom on the shoulder. “I think she’s looking for permission to answer you, Nia.” 

She gestured to me, and I coughed, testing out my voice. “I just don’t know what it is I’m supposed to do,” I whispered. “Mom, I see you and Sam, and I feel useless. Sure, Dad’s a doctor, and I suppose I could try to do that, but I really don’t like it,” I said plainly. “And besides, no matter what I did, I’d always just be compared to him. That’s not what I want.” I shrugged helplessly and stared at the table. “I guess…good or bad, I just want to do something for myself, if that makes sense.” 

When I finished, Mom was quiet, which made me even more nervous. Eventually, after a few agonizing moments, she looked at Dad. “It’s time.”

He paled. “No, I don’t think so. There’s got to be another option. We can do something else, find-“

She smiled at him sadly. “You knew this was coming. She’s not ready, but I don’t think we can’t put it off any longer. We’ve talked about this, remember?”

Dad shot up and slammed his fists against the table. “Absolutely fucking not- you just said she isn’t ready!” He looked mad enough to spit, leaning into Mom’s face. “This right here? This is why I don't fucking talk to you!” He pointed at the door angrily. “Nia, you and your special brand of crazy need to get out of my house- _now_!” 

I looked back and forth between the two of them in shock- Dad and Mom never really got along, but I had never seen Dad get that angry, and I was expecting Mom to bodyslam him to the floor at any moment. Instead, she just sat there, a sad smile on her face while he raged, calmly looking between the two of us. Suddenly, Dad’s voice faded away and I was on Mom’s couch while she sat across from me, looking extremely tired. 

“Well, that went about as well as I’d expected," she said wearily. “As you can tell, your father is decidedly not a fan of what I’m about to offer you, Grace.”

I stared at her nervously. “What are you planning on offering me that made him hulk out? Do I have to sign my soul over to you or something?” As soon as the words left my mouth, I remembered that I was still on thin ice, and I clapped my hand to my mouth.

To my surprise, she didn’t get mad- she just shook her head. “No, no soul transfer involved.” Then her face darkened. "But I won’t lie, it’s dangerous- I won’t be able to protect you there, and you won’t be able to come home or talk to most of us until you finish your job.”

I shrugged. “Not really an issue. What’s the job?”

Mom leaned in and put her hands on my knees. “Grace, I need you to take a minute and think really hard about what I’m telling you- this isn’t a run to the store and get some milk type assignment. It’s life or death, and you have to take this seriously.”

“I’m tired of doing stuff that doesn’t matter, Mom- anything is better than this,” I said angrily. “I just… I want to get out of here. I can’t say here and be under you and dad forever- I’ll fuck things up even more if I do.”

She gave me another withering look, leaning over and brushing a curl out of my face. “I wish I could argue with you on that one, kid." I glared and finally, she smiled. "No matter what," she said as she cupped my chin in her hands, "I need you to remember that all I ever wanted was for you to have a normal, happy life, Grace.”

“Now come on, you know normal was never my style,” I quipped, trying to lighten the tension in the room. Mom was making me uncomfortable with the outpouring of emotion- it wasn’t like her, which made me even more nervous. “So before we get all maudlin, how about you tell me what the job is?” I joked.

She clasped her hands in her lap, taking a minute before speaking. “Remember when you were little, and you used to say that you wanted to fight for the people who couldn’t fight like you?” I nodded slowly, unsure of where this was going, and she continued. “Well, I’m offering you a chance to do just that, but in another realm.”

I looked at her, mouth agape. “Wait, what? Seriously?” I began to feel giddy with excitement. “You mean I get an actual assignment? Like Sam will?”

"But,” she said quickly, "because you’re my child and because your dad is emphatically against this, I’m going to reiterate- you don’t have to do this. You have absolutely nothing to prove to anyone- I’m just offering an option here, Grace.” Mom looked at me sadly. “I don’t think you realize what’s ahead of you, honey.” She got up and sat next to me. “It’s going to be hard out there- after a lifetime of covering for you, we won’t be there to save you, GraceFace.”

Finally, I took a moment to look at my mom. “Will me going there make a difference? Or are you just trying to ship me off so I can get out of your hair?”

“While I think getting away would be good for you, I can tell you that if you go, you’re going to end up saving a lot of people.” She smoothed a hair out of my face and smiled at me. "But, your choice. You do not have to do this."

“But I want to do it,” I said calmly. “If it’s going to help people, then that’s what I want to do.”

“Fine,” she said sadly. “You realize you’re going to have to start a new life, right? You won’t have powers or a magic switch... you’ll just have that noggin of yours.” She looked at me thoughtfully. “How do you think you can help you make the most difference out there?”

I thought about it for a moment, screwing my face up in concentration. “Well, I always wanted to be a lawyer- do you think I could do that out there?”

For the first time since we’d arrived home, she smiled. “I’m pretty sure that can be arranged.”


	12. I should've told you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preston and Grace talk when she comes back to Sanctuary, but Hancock doesn't help matters
> 
> Setting: During “Will the real Grace please stand up?” (Chapter 17)

_ _

* * *

Preston watched as Hancock walked away, apparently pleased with the discomfort he caused the Minuteman. He was so angry when he saw Hancock's arm around her waist as if he belonged with her. Preston felt his face twist into a sneer before he could stop it, and glared at the ghoul. _She belongs here,_ he thought, _with us. She shouldn't be traipsing around the Commonwealth with that good-for-nothing degenerate. Why would she even let him touch her?_

A small hand waved in front of his face, interrupting his thoughts. “Preston… earth to Preston,” Grace said cheerily. “You wanted my attention and you got it, so shouldn’t you start talking? What’s so urgent?”

The Minuteman put his hands in his pockets, trying to avoid her gaze. “I was just going to say that you’ve been gone a long time, General. I thought you might be coming back here a lot sooner than this. I- Sanctuary needs you… It hasn’t been the same since you left.” 

After he finished, there was almost an eternal pause between the two of them. He tried to put it off as long as possible, but when he saw the look in her eyes, Preston knew she wasn’t coming back to him. She sighed and put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to close his eyes.  
  
“Preston.” She only uttered one word, but it spoke volumes. He could feel the spark of hope extinguishing in his chest as her eyes locked with his. All this time, he’d been holding out hope that she would come back to Sanctuary so he could let her know that he cared, that every time he heard her voice over the broadcast channel, his heart skipped a beat. He wanted to tell her he was sorry he didn’t come with her- maybe if he did, she would’ve never fallen in with a guy like Hancock.

_Maybe she would’ve given him a chance. _

Preston started to turn away from her, but Grace stopped him. “I’m sorry if I hurt you,” she said quietly. “That was never my intention.”

“Yeah, it’s nothing- I’m just glad you’re safe,” he murmured. “But I don’t want you to get hurt, Grace- you don’t know him.”

Grace just shook her head, biting her lip. After a moment, she finally spoke. “Preston, with all due respect, you don’t know the first thing about me or John.” She sat down on a patch of dry grass, twirling the blades between her fingers. “All you know is the girl that helped you guys find a home, and while that is certainly a portion of who I am, you never tried to figure out who I really was.”

“I do know who you are,” he said quietly. “You don’t back down from a challenge. You’ve seen some things and come back a bit broken, though you try to hide it.” He chuckled as he sat next to her, staring at his feet. "I admit, you do a better job than I do at keeping your pain at bay, but I can see that you have a lot weighing on your shoulders. And yet you still look out for everyone else.” He looked directly into her eyes, hoping she would understand. "Grace, I asked you to be our General for a reason.”

She laid back on the ground and sighed. Preston tried to ignore that her shirt had slightly risen and was showing a sliver of her tanned skin just above her navel. “You’re only seeing what you want to see.” She turned her head to him, eyes serious. “I’d say I wish things were different, but I respect you enough not to lie. Look, you remind me of my ex-husband, and that's not what I need right now.”

He remained sitting, trying to ignore how she looked as she stretched out in the grass next to him. “Is that a bad thing? You married him, so there had to be something good there, right?”

Grace ignored his question and lowered her eyes, running her fingers in the grass. “You’re a good man, Preston… and if I was a different person, this would probably be a different conversation. But right now, we’re friends… ok?”

“Are you with Hancock?” Preston asked with a bit more venom in his voice than he intended. “Because I’d be careful with him if I were you- he’s a drug addict who lives in a town full of criminals. If you don’t watch out, he’s liable to sell you whenever it works to his advantage.”

“You’re only seeing what you want to see again, Preston,” she said softly. “I’m not with him, but I can safely say he knows more about me than anyone else in this world. If he were to choose to stay with me, I’d be honored to have him by my side.”

Preston felt his heart stutter. “So… if you care about him, why aren’t you with him?” 

A breeze blew across the two of them, and she brushed a hair out of her face. “Because he doesn’t know the whole story yet, so it wouldn’t be fair to him. But, enough about this,” she said with an air of finality. "I realize that I don’t know you that well... but I’d like to.”

“I... think I would like that,” he answered. Preston couldn’t believe his ears- she wasn’t _exactly_ with the ghoul yet. The minuteman swallowed nervously, trying to cover up his excitement. But just as he was about to say something else, he saw a figure in red out of the corner of his eye and groaned- Hancock was approaching them. The Minuteman felt a pang of jealousy when he saw how Grace reacted upon seeing the ghoul, so he stood up as casually as he could, trying to leave before he said something to anger the woman.

“Hey Sunshine,” Hancock said as he extended his hand to Grace and helped her up from the grass. “How you doin’ over here?” 

“Pretty good- we had a good chat.” She smiled as he kissed her on the cheek, and Preston remembered how she had pulled away from him when he touched her. For a moment, he pretended that it was him that got to kiss her and receive that beautiful smile. Eventually, the frustration proved to be too much and the Minuteman eyed the ghoul for a moment, taking a deep breath and trying hard to keep his ire in check.

“Good to know,” Hancock said with a laugh. “I didn’t hear yelling, so I figured you were good. Just wanted to let you know the old woman wants to say hi to you before we leave. Told me to go and send you over.” 

Grace’s eyes widened with understanding. “Oh, you mean Mama Murphy?” When the ghoul nodded, she grinned. “That’s not an issue at all. You mind giving me a minute- I’ll stop over there for a bit, then we can head out. Do you mind waiting for me by the exit?” 

“I suppose,” he replied playfully. “Hurry back, Sunshine- you still got some story left to tell me, and I ain’t one for cliffhangers.”

Her laugh was musical as she gave the ghoul a quick peck on the cheek, waving to him as she walked towards the creek. “You’ll live,” she called over her shoulder. 

Hancock shook his head and then looked at Preston. The Minuteman had returned to the guard post and was leaning against it, watching the exchange between the two with disdain. To Preston’s dismay, the ghoul began walking towards him. “Now that Sunshine’s gone,” he said mildly, “What’s your problem, Boy Scout?”

“My problem is you,” he spat out before he could stop himself. “The general doesn’t need to be with someone like you.”

Hancock didn’t even flinch. “Someone like me? What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You’re only in it for yourself,” Preston retorted. “You’re going to hurt her, and you’re too damn selfish to let her go before she gets hurt.” 

“Boy Scout, it sounds to me like the only one selfish here is you. The only thing I’ve wanted since I met her is to keep her happy and safe- all you’ve ever done is ask her to do shit for you. Don’t get all in my shit because I’m actually in love with her- you’re in love with who you think she is. What do you even know about her?”

Preston practically squawked. “I am not! I think the General is an amazing person and-“

“Stop right there,” Hancock said pointedly. “I didn’t ask you what you thought, I asked you what you knew.” The ghoul smirked and started playing with his knife absentmindedly. “Boy Scout, do you even know her real name? Do you know about her kid? Do you know about her old man?”

“She said I reminded her of her ex-husband,” Preston said proudly, finally happy to be able to claim something that the ghoul didn’t have. “And of course I know her real name- I found a picture of her and her ex-husband and some things that belonged to her, too.”

“What did she do when you tried to give it to her?” Hancock asked, still not looking at him and twirling the knife in his fingers. “Did she claim any of it?”

Preston felt his smile falter. “No… she told me I could keep it, said she didn’t need it.” 

The Minuteman could see emotions warring across Hancock’s face, but the ghoul kept his tone and face neutral. “She said you’re like her ex-husband because he only saw what was on the surface, Boy Scout.” Hancock sighed. "Look, I’ll tell you something, and I know you don’t want to hear it, but I think you need to. I’m here for her. Not because she owes me anything or because I think I’m gonna get something out of it. Even if she doesn’t know it yet, I love that girl, and I ain’t never trying to do nothin’ that’s gonna hurt her.”

“Fat lot of good that’s gonna do when you leave her high and dry,” Preston snorted. 

“That ain’t gonna happen- I’m here as long as she wants me. I ain’t goin’ nowhere, and I’m gonna help her get her kid back. So, if you’re really her friend like you say you are and not just a prick in a uniform trying to get into her pants, you’ll be happy for her and stop being a jealous dick that’s gonna get his ass handed to him when you say the wrong thing to her.” Hancock gave Preston a look that wasn’t angry, but almost sad. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, Boy Scout. But she ain’t the girl you think she is, and the sooner you figure that out, the better off you’re gonna be.”

“Yeah, well that’s a lot of talk coming from the guy who isn’t even with her,” Preston retorted. “We’ll just let the Gen- _Grace_ decide,” he said with an air of finality. 

Hancock sighed and laced his hands behind his head. “Preston, this ain't gonna end well for you, you understand that, right?”

“Whatever, Mayor,” he said angrily. “If it weren’t for the fact she’s going with you, I’d be happy to see you go.”

Hancock didn’t reply- he just pulled out an inhaler of Jet and took a hit of it, staring off into the distance. When Grace came back a few minutes later, he felt his stomach sink to his feet as she looped her arm in Hancock’s and started walking away, tossing a goodbye to him over her shoulder. He expected the ghoul to gloat, but Hancock simply gave a small shrug of his shoulders as he wrapped his arm around the girl, escorting her across the bridge and towards the old vault. 

_What would’ve happened if I told her earlier,_ he thought. _Would it have been me helping her? Would it be me holding her and kissing her right now instead of him? _

With no answers to these questions, Preston just watched them leave, silently cursing his lack of action as the two entwined silhouettes began to disappear over the horizon. 


	13. Breakdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace needs a minute as they track the courser
> 
> Setting: During “I’m Gunning for you, Kid” (Chapter 21)

_ _

* * *

We had to be a sight as we headed towards Cambridge. A synth, a ghoul, 2 girls, a merc, and an idiot in sunglasses, all marching to fight a death machine. Thinking about how we had to look, the only thing that went through my head was_ all we’re missing is the damn dog- we’d be the apocalypse version of the Scooby gang_. This thought sent me into a giggling fit- I doubled over, humming the theme song to myself between giggles and snorting ever so often. 

Hancock looked alarmed. “Sunshine! What the hell?” He bent over and stared at me, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Have you lost your mind?” 

All I could do was say, “Scooby Dooby Doo, where are you?” It was so stupid, but I couldn’t help it- I started making t-rex arms at him as I laughed so hard tears streamed down my cheeks. “We’ve got some work to do now,” I crooned, bending over with laughter again. 

He stared at Nick, unsure about what he should do with me. Nick just shrugged, but at this point, I was no help at all- I just fell to my knees laughing and wheezing. “Nick, what the hell is wrong with her?” Hancock was staring at me wide-eyed, but all I could do was laugh and laugh. "She just lost her shit all of a sudden!” 

To my surprise, it was Deacon that responded. “She’s just stressed, Hancock. Ever heard of laughing to keep from crying?” 

“I’m fine,” I said, shaking my head. Besides, it didn’t matter- no one, not even Hancock, would get the joke. It was just another one of those things lost to time. 

Like the fact that I would never be able to go to a midnight showing of the Rocky Horror Picture show and throw popcorn at the screen again, or if I said “Chili’s,” no one would ever respond with “Baby back ribs." Or maybe how I'd never feel the wind in my hair again as I rode my motorcycle down the I-95... or the fact that I'd never smell mom’s roses again as I looked out at the stars. 

_You’re gonna be the odd one out forever, Grace. _

Finally grasping the truth of these words, I broke down and cried.

_ _

* * *

The girl was most assuredly not fine- Deacon was surprised that she had kept it together this long. 

Outwardly, she hid it well, but he could see the signs. Something had happened to her- she was a little too quick to laugh, too quick to help, too eager to talk. He’d seen it before, done it himself after the coursers hit their HQ all those years ago, but he had the option to fade into the background, take on a new name, a new face, and become someone else- however, Grace wasn’t so lucky. To be fair, she’d done well- granted, she was a little too angry for his tastes, but given the shit that she was dealing with, he’d give her a pass. It was clear that she was the reason this little crew was together, and all her mistakes and successes were front and center- that kind of stress would make anyone crack up.

Deacon crouched down next to her as she cried, watching her closely. “Care to share what’s so funny?” When she didn’t respond, he reached in his pocket and tossed her a handkerchief so she could clean her face. _Pays to be prepared,_ he thought. _Never know what you’ll need out here._

She took it with a grateful look, blowing her nose. "Nope, doesn’t matter,” she replied bitterly. "I just have to try to kill something that can’t be killed, that’s all. And, oh yeah, I get to be used by yet another organization for their own fucking purposes. This shit is amazing!” 

From the corner of his eye, Deacon saw Hancock take a step forward, but he just shook his head, hoping the ghoul would get the point and stay back- she didn’t need it right now. “Sounds like you’ve had a rough go of it, huh?”

“That’s a fucking understatement,” she said angrily. “You can go away now.”

“Nah,” he said, not moving, just watching her. “I’m curious. What’s goin’ on in that brain of yours that’s got you all worked up out here? Considering it’s probably about to get us all shot, I’m hoping you got a good story to tell me.” She glared at him, eyes glassy and nose snotty and he chuckled, leaning towards her conspiratorially. “Here’s a hint- if you don’t have a good story, tell the best lie you can think of. I’ll give you a pass this time.”

“Fuck you,” she snorted, then shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. She continued to sob, but much quieter now, and they sat there like that until she spoke again. He knew that eventually, she’d fill the silence- he just had to be patient. Soon, Grace had composed herself enough to talk and wiped her eyes. “Why the fuck am I the one who has to decide who lives or dies? Why me? What the hell did I do to deserve this?” 

“You cared,” Deacon replied honestly. “Sometimes it’s just that simple.” 

“I hardly think that’s fair,” she said, sniffling. “There have to be better criteria for being a martyr than that.”

“Sometimes that’s all it takes.” He clapped her on the back, for once not smiling. “And besides, when have you ever known life to be fair?” 

_ _

* * *

Hancock watched Grace closely after they left the church. She had stopped crying, thank god, but he was still careful to make sure she didn’t break down again. He didn’t trust Deacon as far as he could throw him, but he had to admit that he helped get Grace back to a state where she could at least function. MacCready had taken her upfront with him but Hancock hung back, curious to talk to the spy.

“What’s your deal,” Hancock asked cautiously. “What are you playing at? Why so interested in helping all of a sudden?”

Deacon shrugged nonchalantly. “Our interests align- figured I’d help our fearless leader find her kid and help the Railroad at the same time.” 

“Yeah, you’ve been dropping off holotapes and skulking around Goodneighbor all this time but now you want to help?” Hancock gave Deacon a hard look. "Something about your story smells worse than Longneck Lukowski’s cannery, spy.”

“Well, it’s like you said, I am a spy. Up until now, you guys haven’t done too much that’s interesting.” Hancock watched as his eyes flitted up towards Grace. “I’ll admit, she’s got me curious. Finding her son, I get- the motivation makes sense. You don’t even have to dress it up to sell the story. But a pretty thing like that taking on the world for a synth and a ghoul? Not likely, and I want to know why."

Hancock found himself rankled by the spy’s observation and crossed his arms. “I don’t know… maybe it’s because she’s a good person? Just a thought- I know you don’t have too many of those.”

“You’re protective of her,” Deacon said mildly. 

It wasn’t a question and Hancock knew it- the spy was baiting him. Fuck it- he had nothing to hide. “Damn straight I am,” he replied. “That’s my girl.” He fixed Deacon with an icy stare. “So you might want to keep that in mind while you’re out here being curious.”

“Well now you’ve just piqued my curiosity a bit more, Mr. Mayor,” Deacon said with a smile. His smug grin only served to further irritate Hancock and the ghoul looked away, hands firmly in his pockets. Realizing he should probably stay on his toes around the spy, Hancock released his grip on the inhaler of Jet and pulled out the container of Mentats instead, opening the tin and letting the berry flavor and awareness wash over him.

After a moment, Deacon turned to look at him. “What’s the matter, Mayor? Cat got your tongue?”

Hancock just stared at Grace, who was leaning on MacCready’s shoulder. “If I recall correctly, curiosity killed the cat. Might want to keep that in mind.”

“Duly noted,” the spy replied, whistling as he walked up ahead to chat with the rest of the group.


	14. First Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper and MacCready have a date in Sanctuary  
Setting: During “Building Towards Something” (Chapter 25)

_ _

* * *

When Hancock pulled him to the side, MacCready was not expecting him to tell him that. “Seriously, you’re proposing to the Princess? Tonight?” 

Hancock rolled his eyes. “Yep. Her mom came and told me if I wanted to keep her around, I better give her a reason.” The ghoul looked at him, his black eyes reflecting the light of the deepening evening sky. “I’m tryin’ to give her reasons to stay.”

Mac whistled. “I get it, but what’re you telling me for?”

“Well, for starters, you’re like her brother,” Hancock said quietly. “I figured I should let you know what was goin’ on, is all.” 

“That’s bull and you know it, Hancock,” Mac said with a laugh. “We both know that you don't give a can of Cram about what I think when it comes to you and the Princess.”

Hancock laughed. “When you’re right, you’re right,” he said, pulling out a canister of Jet and taking a huff. “I came to ask you to distract the reporter for a while so I could talk to Sunshine.” 

Mac froze- he hadn’t been alone with Piper since they left the Railroad headquarters, and while he’d boldly given her a kiss then, neither of them had spoken about it since. He started to say something in protest, but Hancock just began to laugh. “You’ve had a crush on that girl for god knows how long, kid. Just take her out and get it over and done with- can’t have you making cow eyes at her for the rest of our lives, can we? You should’ve told her months ago- what the hell are you waiting on?”

“I - she- “ Mac stammered. “I- she-” Frustrated, he blew out a breath. “She doesn’t know me, Hancock, and she won’t like me when she figures it out, either.”

“Trust me,” Hancock said, clapping him on the back, “if Grace can fall in love with this ugly mug, you got one helluva shot at convincing the reporter who’s already into you to go on a date wit’ ya.”

“That’s different,” he said, frowning. “You and the Princess are both a- jerks.” He gave Hancock a smile and the ghoul gently shoved him. “You two deserve each other,” Mac said with a grin. “I don’t know if I’m gonna find that again.”

Hancock sighed as he lit a cigarette. “You were with someone before, right?”

“Yeah,” he said softly, fingering the toy soldier in his pocket. “She never knew I was a merc though.” 

“But Piper knows,” Hancock said simply. “And she ain’t runnin’ from ya. It’s rare to find that, kid. Don’t fuck it up because you’re too busy being a chickenshit.” 

MacCready kicked a rock that was near his foot, watching it clatter down the street. “I dunno, Mayor. What if this ain’t somethin’ she wants?” 

“Then she’ll tell you.” He clapped MacCready on the back and grinned. “Kid, if you keep sitting around and wishing, you’ll never get anywhere. Take a chance- it’s a nice night out. Go for a walk, get to know her a little better. Hell, what else were you gonna do?”

“Not listen to a lecture from you, that’s for da-darn sure,” he grumbled. 

They had started to walk back, where Deacon was walking away from Piper and Grace. “Now’s your chance,” Hancock said, leaning down and whispering in his ear. “Just ask her- the worst she’s gonna say is she’s tired and wants to go to bed. If she’s into ya, she’ll accept.” 

“I hate you so much, Mayor,” MacCready said, shooting Hancock a look that would have flamed a radstag. “If I could get away with shooting ya, I would.”

“But you can’t,” Hancock said with a wide grin as he took off Mac's hat and ruffled his hair, placing the hat back on his head. Mac growled, but Hancock just laughed. “Sunshine won’t forgive you, though I reckon Wright might actually give you points for doing it for her.”  
—

“It’s pretty out tonight,” Mac said as they walked off down the street, relishing the feeling of her hand in his. Hancock and Grace had strolled off towards the creek, but the two of them had walked further into town. He felt her squeeze his hand and he smiled at her touch, pulling her to sit next to him so they could stare into the night sky. “Princess always looks out at the stars when we’re on the road… nights like this, I can see why she does it."

“You can see the stars so clear from out here,” she said softly, staring up into the sky. “Living in Diamond City, you don’t get to see the sky like this.”

He stared at her, entranced by the reflection of the sky in her eyes. “Then I’m glad I get the chance to share it with you Pipes.” He blushed, feeling like an idiot, so he decided to change the subject. “So, you’ve been in town a little longer than me- you learn anything interesting lately?” 

“Um,” Piper put a finger to her lips. “Mama Murphy says she can see the future, but I don’t know about that. Sturges is a damn good mechanic- he can fix almost anything. Marcy Long hates Grace for some reason, haven’t quite sussed that one out yet, and Trash Can Carla hangs around here an awful lot just to be a junk vendor- I think she’s up to something.” Mac could see her hazel eyes sparkling with excitement and he chuckled at her enthusiasm. “Give me a little more time, I’m sure I could come up with more.” 

“I’m sure you could,” he said with a laugh. “There’s no stone unturned when you’re around, Pipes.”

She gave him a playful shove. “Are you calling me nosy, MacCready?” He shrugged, and she hit him in the arm, laughing. “I’m not nosy, I’m thorough- there’s a difference!”

“Whatever you say, Pipes- I’ve learned it’s not in my best interest to argue with beautiful women,” Mac said with a grin. “But I’m curious, what have you dug up on me?” 

The girl leaned her head on his arm, and he wrapped his hand around her shoulder. “Why, you want me to do a feature on you or somethin’?” Piper asked playfully. “Cause I gotta tell you- if that’s the case, I’mma need to do some more research.”

“If it’s for my adoring public, ask away- I’m an open book,” he said with a grin. “So, what are inquiring minds dying to know?”

She began to trace patterns on his leg, looking like she was debating what she wanted to say. “Well, you left me on a cliffhanger before- not a good practice if you don’t follow up on it.” She twisted in her seat, moving to face him, her features bathed in the soft light from the night sky. “When we were back in Fort Hagen, you said something about traveling with me being interesting.”

He swallowed, trying not to focus on the way the light from the nearby fire was outlining her mouth. “Prolly did,” he said roughly. “You remembered that, huh?”

Piper nodded. “Of course- a good reporter never forgets,” she said shyly.

“And we both know you’re a good reporter,” he said as he touched a fingertip to her cheek. “So, Pipes,” he said, resting his hand under her chin and tilting her face up to his, “what do you think I meant by it?”

“I don’t deal in opinions, Mac,” she said quietly. “I prefer the facts.” He was so close that he could feel her warm breath tickling his nose, and the scent of the wine she had drank earlier smelled sweet and heady as she spoke. “So, MacCready,” what did you mean?”

“That you’re amazing,” he said quietly, running his finger over her lips. “You’re funny and fearless, honest to a fault, and you’re not afraid to speak your mind.” MacCready leaned in, touching his forehead to hers. “I know you’re too good for me, but I want you anyway.” 

“Still opinions,” she breathed, her body completely still and waiting for him. “Where’s my proof?”

“Right here,” he said, leaning down and kissing her. Just as he suspected, she tasted of wood and wine- when his lips met hers, Mac felt like he was kissing lightning. It was as if her very lips were electrified- every time they connected, he felt a jolt run through his body and he couldn’t get enough of it. Piper was beautiful, relaxed under his touch- her hands were woven throughout his hair and he was enjoying every minute of it, watching as the normally composed reporter lost herself as he explored her body. Just as he thought he was in control, she surprised him- when her nails raked across his scalp, he let out a soft moan, leaning in to claim her mouth with his. He hadn’t felt like this since Lucy- he used to be convinced there would never be anyone except her, but now there was only Piper, soft and warm in his arms. 

As he lost himself in the sensation of her underneath the night sky, MacCready began to realize that Hancock was right.

He should have done this months ago. 


	15. May I have this dance?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick and Grace share a dance  
Setting: During “Reunions, Pt 2” (Chapter 31)

_ _

* * *

Nick hadn't been this proud of anything since Jenny agreed to marry him all those years ago. 

As he walked with Gracie down the stairs of the Third Rail, he felt a pang of wistfulness in his throat- he’d never get a day like this of his own. But then, as he felt her tiny hand in his, he remembered that he’s not the old Nick Valentine. He’s something new, something different, and he’s free. So free, in fact, that he’s able to escort the tiny brunette into the arms of the man who loved her more than anything else in the world, and he couldn’t help but beam with pride at the two of them doing what he would’ve given the world to be able to do. 

Nick had to admit that when he first saw them together, Hancock was not his first choice for Gracie. He’d known John Hancock when he’d been John McDonough, the skinny roguish redhead that was breaking hearts all across Diamond City. He’d known him when he was the broken and despondent chem-addict that he’d had to pick up off the streets and force a dose of Addictol into his system to keep the man from shuffling off the mortal coil. And he’d known him when he became a ghoul, too ashamed to look at himself in the mirror and cope with the man who looked back. Nick was fully aware of all these facets of John, but when he saw him with Grace, he saw another side, one he’d never expect to see from the self-proclaimed King of the Ghouls. 

When Hancock was with Grace, he was softer- oh sure, he’d still be able to eviscerate a man he deemed to be a threat and not bat an eye, but he was _more_ when he was with her. More present and less likely to run to a chem, more protective when he thought there was a threat to the loud little girl who could easily handle herself, and more vulnerable. This girl had his heart, and Nick could see that it didn’t matter if the whole world knew it- she was his missing piece, and Nick knew the man would be a damn fool if Hancock ever thought he’d find another like her. Luckily for everyone, Hancock was many things, but a fool had never been one of them, so once the ghoul had realized he had a foothold in the girl’s heart, he had pulled her close and never let go. 

Nick didn’t blame him one bit, as he loved the girl just as fiercely, albeit differently. Grace was his little girl, the one he’d give everything to protect. He’d never had kids before- even if he had, they’d have all been long gone by now- but he loved Grace with a ferocity that couldn’t have been any stronger even if he’d known her all her life. In a way, he’d raised her out here- protecting her, advising her, being there for her… she was his daughter and the girl knew it. He’d been wrapped around her little finger since he looked into those bright green eyes of hers, and he didn’t want it any other way. 

As she squeezed his hand nervously, the detective realized that being around her made him feel _real_. To her, he was just Nick, not the affable synth detective. When Grace looked at him, she saw a father- she’d told him as much many times before, and though he’d tried to downplay it every time, he was always secretly glad that he couldn’t cry. If Grace knew how much that sentiment meant to him, she’d use it against him every chance she got, and Nick wouldn’t blame her one bit- he was hers as much as she was his, and nothing in the Commonwealth would ever change that.

When Hancock had asked him to help with getting her wedding together, he’d only asked for one thing- to be able to walk her down the aisle. He’d dreamed about this day when he’d had those late-night conversations with Jenny before they’d fallen asleep, thinking about what their futures would hold and Jenny would tease him about how he’d be the classic overprotective dad. As he guided her to the arms of the man that had scrambled to get everyone in the Commonwealth who’d been touched by the tiny spitfire together to witness this event, he chuckled to himself- _Jenny was right, just as she’d always been..._

Nick felt a surge of emotion as he moved to the table with his friends, watching as the two exchanged vows in front of everyone, doing something that no one in the Commonwealth would ever think possible. He knew that this was only the start of what they would do, as the detective was well aware of Hancock’s other reason for doing this right now. But, at least for this moment, there was no war and there was no Institute- it was just his little girl, getting married to the man she loved, and the old man realized that he couldn’t be happier. He even had to bite back a snort when the preacher proclaimed that today was the day that two became one. _That happened long before today, buddy_, he thought with a grin. _Like keys in a lock, they fit_. 

Amidst all the chaos of the day, he wanted the chance to hold the girl who'd become his daughter in his arms, to say how proud he was of her, and to let her know it was okay to be happy, so when Kent put on the first song, Nick walked out to take her hand. When she looked at him with adoration and love in those big green eyes, Nick never felt more human than he did right then- it was a moment that he’d replay for the rest of his days, one that he'd never imagined that he’d get the chance to have. But being overly emotional wasn’t their language- no, theirs was a relationship built on jokes and teasing, of casual touches and late-night advice sessions. It was composed of bravado in the face of danger and swagger to cover sadness, yet full of devotion that anyone with working eyes could see. So, Nick didn’t say what he wanted to say- he didn’t tell her that the two of them were the most important thing out here to him, that seeing her marry his best friend was the best moment of his second life, or that he’d never forget this day as long as he lived. 

No, none of these things felt like their style- while great for others, they weren’t right for the relationship that they had. Instead, he took her hand and led her to the dance floor, tipping his hat and giving her a wink, smiling as the casual words rolled off his tongue-

“Sweetheart, may I have this dance?”

And as the girl nodded and leaned against him as they swayed on the dance floor, Nick knew that Gracie understood just fine. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Out of all of these stories, this one was one of my favorites- I absolutely love Nick.


	16. Hello, Mrs. Hancock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace and Hancock share a moment on their wedding night (NSFW)  
Setting: End of Two Truths and a Lie (Chapter 32)

_ _

The door shut behind Nick and Mac, and Hancock leaned over to stare at the woman next to him on the bed. Her face was still splotchy from crying and she had trails of salt drying on her cheeks, but Hancock still thought she was just as beautiful as she had been in her wedding dress when she came down the stairs at the Third Rail. “Hey,” he said, kissing her cheek. “Grace Hancock… has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

She smiled at him, moving closer to him on the bed. “I’d say so, but you’d have to ask my husband. Pretty smooth guy… that’s why I married him, you know,” 

He cupped her ass, pulling her into him. “That so?” Hancock asked as he nuzzled her neck and nipped her softly, causing Grace to close her eyes and let out a soft moan. “That the only reason?”

Grace gave him a wicked smile, snaking her fingers under his shirt and running her fingers across his chest, causing Hancock to let out a low rumble from deep in his throat. “Well, that, and the fact that he knocked me up- I kinda had to at that point.” Despite himself, he let out a soft grunt and she laughed, shifting so she could pull the shirt off of him. “You’re wearing too many clothes, John.” 

“That so?” Hancock murmured. “I think I could say the same thing about you, Sunshine.” Finally free of his shirt, Hancock sat back, placing his back to the wall and resting on his elbows. “I want to see my wife. All of her,” he added with a lascivious smile. “Undress for me.”

Never one to accept a command at face value, Grace stood up, mischief flashing across her face as she turned her back to him. “Since when do I take orders from you?”

Hancock gave a throaty chuckle. “I seem to remember when I first met you all those months ago, you couldn’t wait to take it off and show me.” He kicked his boots off, sending them flying to the other end of the room and watching her lustfully as she snaked her hands along her sides, tossing him glances over her shoulder. “Why so shy now?”

“I told you,” Grace said with a wink, “I’m a married woman.” With her back still turned towards him, she pulled off her shirt and pants, revealing the lacy bra and panties she’d worn under her wedding dress. From the back, the underwear was nothing but a string nestled gently between the crack of her ass, and Hancock could feel himself growing hard, wishing more than anything she’d close the gap and come to him so he could feel her smooth skin under his rough fingers. “Lucky for my husband,” she said wickedly, "I’d do anything for him.”

“Is that so?” Hancock asked, sliding towards the edge of the bed, his interest evident. “How about you come over here and prove that to me, Mrs. Hancock?”

“With pleasure,” Grace purred as she turned around, giving him a full view of her body. When she faced him with her curls splayed wild around her head and all wrapped up in white lace, Hancock felt like all the air in the room had been sucked out at once. He’d seen all this before- by now, he knew every curve of her body, every crevice and dip from her head to her toes. But now, as she offered herself to him like a pre-war pinup girl, he was as excited as he’d been the very first time he got to take her all in- this was his wife, and he was going to enjoy claiming every inch of her body as his all over again. That tattoo of the sun stood out like a beacon on her otherwise smooth tan-colored skin, and he couldn’t wait to run his tongue across every line of it.

As she approached, Hancock realized that carrying his child was changing the body he used to know so well. The once flat stomach now had a slight roundness to it, and her breasts were fuller, looking as if they wanted to break free from the lacy fabric that was restraining them. Her nipples were dark orbs, standing out and calling for his attention from behind their white curtain and Hancock couldn’t take it anymore, reaching forward and pulling her into his lap, lowering his head to her chest and taking her breast into his mouth, running his tongue across her hard peaks through the coarse fabric, turning it as translucent as her underwear, which were growing wetter with her arousal by the minute. Her hands were roaming across his head wildly as he brought one hand along her back, unclasping her bra while the other moved under the fabric between her legs, probing her gently with his rough fingers, feeling her wetness as he slid back and forth inside of her. 

She moaned loudly, unaware or uncaring about the people downstairs, and Hancock had to bite back a grin. _Fuck ‘em,_ he thought. _This is my wife and this is our wedding night- you don’t like the show, then go someplace else._ “John,” she moaned, bucking against his fingers as he gently massaged her clit between his fingertips, “I -“

“Give it to me, Sunshine,” he said as he moved his mouth from her breast long enough to remove the bra completely before lavishing his attentions on her other side. “I want to feel this one.” 

By this point Grace was incapable of proper speech- she answered in bucks against the heel of his palm and for a moment, he thought about denying her the release she was chasing. But as he raised his mouth to look at her, head tossed back in ecstasy, neck exposed to him, he could think of no better sight than this woman coming undone in the palm of his hand, so instead of holding back, he added another finger. Feeling her tightening all around his hand, he pulled her to his mouth with his free hand, stealing her moans and screams between his lips as she flooded his fingertips with her orgasm. 

Grace shook when he removed his hand from between her legs, moving her to her back on the bed. “My wife,” he said as he stood over her, trailing his gaze all over her flushed body. “I can’t believe that this is the rest of my life,” he breathed as he began to kiss her body, moving from her neck onward. As he nibbled her neck, he was both thankful and upset that she wouldn’t scar- he wanted to leave marks all over her to let the world know that she was his. Then he smiled in spite of his irritation- the ring on her finger was a solid symbol of her devotion to him and he’d take that over a few temporary marks any day. 

“You’re still wearing too many clothes, John- I’m getting tired of you wrecking my body before you ever take off your pants,” she breathed. “Take those fuckers off before I cut you out of them.”

Hancock made a tsk noise. “Someone’s impatient,” he said with a chuckle, kissing her neck as he worked the sash around his waist loose. “Thought I just gave you something to tide you over.”

“From what I just felt when I was on top of you, I would think you’d be in a bigger hurry,” Grace panted. “I can tell how much you want me.” 

She sat up, trying to help by reaching for his pants, but Hancock gently pushed her back down on the bed. “Nope, you just have to wait. You made me wait while you unwrapped yourself… now it’s my turn.”

“But I want it,” Grace said, biting her lip and propping herself up on her elbows. “You’re my husband and I want you.”

Her words sent a shiver down his spine and made his cock twitch._ My husband_, she'd said. He’d never thought he’d hear those words, let alone from a mouth like hers, and immediately he felt too warm, needing to remove anything in his path before it burst into flames. The buttons on his pants began to feel like locks in his fingers, and he fumbled to get the suddenly too-tight pants off. After a momentary struggle, he was finally free and he slid the offending scrap of white fabric from her legs, wanting nothing between him and the girl who’d crossed time and space to become his. “I want you too,” Hancock breathed, leaning over her. “Right now, there is nothing in the world I want more than you, Sunshine."

She gave him a smile that was a mix of lust and mischief. “Then you should come and take me,” she said, curling a finger upward to him. “In my day, the marriage wasn’t considered real until you consummated it. So,” she said wickedly, “that means that as of right now, I’m still on the market.”

“Over my dead body,” Hancock growled, burying himself inside her with enough force to make her gasp. He moved a hand up to her face, kissing her ear as he whispered. “There will never be anyone else for me, Grace Hancock.” He kissed her open mouth as he began to move inside her, savoring the sensation of her all around him. As he thrust into her and watched as she bit her lip, he brought her face down to look at him, his black orbs locked on her green ones. “And I do believe we agreed on forever, Sunshine."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today was a double posting! This series has two stories left to go before I’m done, so I figured since the weather here sucks, I may as well get some extras up!


	17. In case I don't get the chance to tell you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MacCready talks with Piper before they take on the Institute  
Setting: During "It's not as simple as a boss fight" (Chapter 33)

_ _

* * *

“You lied to me,” Piper said bitterly. “You all did. I can see why Grace did it, but I expected better from you, Mac.” She stared out into the distance, unwilling to even look at him as they sat on the steps of the Statehouse. "I thought we were better than that.” Underneath it all, Piper knew that MacCready was loyal to a fault to Grace, but she never figured that if it came down to the two of them that she’d come up short. Even though she tried to deny it, the realization stung- he was still her merc. Always by her side, always willing to lend a hand, and always there for her.

That is... until he wasn’t. 

_Maybe that’s my fault,_ she mused sadly. _Maybe I expected too much, too soon. _

“I never lied to you, Pipes,” MacCready said softly. “If there’s ever anything you want to know about me, you know I’ll always tell you. But this one here wasn't my story to tell.” 

“Why is it always me that you guys hide things from?” Piper asked, turning to look at him. “Am I always gonna be second?”

He laughed and pulled her close to him- against her better judgment, she melted into his side. “You know you’re my one and only, but you gotta remember that she’s my sister, Pipes- I can’t go around telling you her business.” He nuzzled his head into her neck. “But trust me on this- you are never second, understand me?”

“It feels like that sometimes,” she said carefully. “I’m so out of the loop- to find out about her kid like that really hurt, Mac.” She hugged him around his waist, both for comfort and warmth in the chilly night air. “Do you guys not trust me or something?” 

Mac smiled. “The Princess and I trust you with our lives. Hancock, on the other hand…” his voice trailed off. “So you know how it is. And don’t get mad at Princess- she never told anyone except Hancock. The mayor was the one who told Nick and me.”

Piper sighed into his chest. “I know… she told me.” She pulled away to stare up at him. “But, I need you to promise me something, Mac.”

“Anything,” he replied, pulling her close and resting his forehead on hers. “Whatever you need.”

“I don’t want you to try to protect me from things, Mac,” she said carefully. “I’m out here for the same reason as you- I want to be. So even though you and I got this thing going on, I’m still your partner and you have to trust me.”

Mac frowned against her. “I can’t always promise that, Pipes,” he said softly, wrapping her tightly in his arms. "You don’t understand what you’re asking me when you tell me to not protect you.”

“Then make me understand,” she said. “Cause right now, I feel like everyone’s treatin’ me like I’m made of glass and I’m sick of it.”

Mac sighed and took off his hat, running his fingers through his hair. “You’re gonna make me tell you this here? Now?” She stared at him, unblinking- to her, this was a perfect time and his hesitance only made her more unnerved. Hoping to spur him to action, she placed a hand on his and he closed his eyes, relenting under her touch. “Fine, if you want to know, I’ll tell you. But I’mma warn you, it’s not something I really wanted to get into with you this soon.”

“I’m listening,” she said softly. 

“I was married before,” he said softly. “Well, as married as you could be in the Capitol Wasteland, anyway. Her name was Lucy, and she was the love of my life,” he said wistfully. “She was my partner- any shot I took, she was with me. We never left each other’s side- it was always Luce and Mac... then we had Duncan, and I remember thinking, ‘God, what did I ever do to deserve these two?’”

“I’ve heard about Duncan,” she said slowly, “but I never hear you talk about his mom. What happened between you two?”

MacCready sighed, staring out into the streets of Goodneighbor. For a moment, Piper wasn’t sure that he was going to speak, but after a few beats, he responded. “She and I were traveling with Duncan, and we got caught in a rad storm. So, we stopped in a metro tunnel to spend the night. Turns out we should’ve just dealt with the fu-stupid storm,” he said bitterly.

“You couldn’t do that,” Piper replied. “You had your son to think about.”

“You sound like Lucy,” the merc said wistfully. “But there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t wish we’d have just taken our chances.”

Piper almost didn’t trust herself to speak, but her curiosity got the better of her. “What happened?"

“Turns out the whole place was infested with feral ghouls,” he said bitterly. “Soon as the lights went out, they ambushed us. Lucy saw them before I did, and she knew,” he said tearfully. “She knew it was either her or us, and she chose us.”

“She loved you, Mac,” Piper said quietly. “That’s what you do when you love someone- you risk it all to save them.”

“Piper, I saw my wife get torn apart by the clawed, rotted hands of ferals right before my eyes. She gave her life so Duncan and I could get out of that station, and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about what she did for me.” He turned to her, his face etched with pain. “And every day, it hurts a little less than the day before, but I’ll be da-“ he paused for a moment, trying to gain back some of his composure before he continued. “And you know what the worst part of all of that was?” 

Knowing that there was no way that she could even hazard a guess, Piper shook her head. Instead, she grabbed his hand and he looked at her, seemingly grateful for the small measure of comfort she could provide. “The worst part of all of that was in the end, I never got the chance to let her know how I felt. I never got the chance to tell her how much I loved her one last time, and I can’t go through that again, Pipes. I can’t have the woman I love getting into a situation where she has to choose between me or her- someone already gave me that chance once.” He looked at her, eyes serious. “I don’t want you to even think you’re less important than me, and I never want you in that position where you’d have to choose. So, I’m sorry if you’re mad about me trying to protect you, but I can’t lose you too, Pipes.”

“That’s not the world we live in, Mac,” Piper said quietly. “You can’t protect me from it, no matter how much you want to. I’m here for my freedom just as much as yours.”

He sighed. “I know,” he said quietly. "If something were to happen to us out here, I don’t ever want you thinking I didn’t care about you.” 

“She knew,” Piper said, reaching around to thread her hands in his hair. Never in a million years did she think she’d be comforting the guy she was dating about his ex-wife, but the world they lived in wasn't one that held the promise of tomorrow for them. She’d never had the chance to tell her father how much she loved him before the was murdered, so if nothing else, she knew how it felt to not be able to say goodbye to the ones you loved. “If she loved you enough to make sure you lived, she knew how you felt.”

“Then I need you to know,” he said, closing his eyes and resting against her. “In case I don’t get the chance to tell you, know this- I love you, Piper Wright, and I’d risk it all to make sure you got the chance to live the life you deserve."

As much as she wanted to keep him at arm's length, Piper knew that just as she would fight tooth and nail to make sure he came home safe, he’d never let anything happen to her. No matter the mission, the merc was always at her side, and though Piper wanted to protest, she knew she couldn’t deny that she felt the same way.

And now she had the chance to tell him.


	18. Stir Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very pregnant Grace tries to get MacCready to go on an adventure  
Setting: During “Always and Forever, Sunshine” (Chapter 35)

_ _

* * *

“Mac! Where the heck have you been!” I said, waddling over to the merc. It had been weeks since I had seen him last- between him going to DC to get his son and his moving to Diamond City to be with Piper and Nat, we hadn’t had the chance to hang out with each other lately. Neither John nor I were too keen about him leaving, but my reasoning had less to do with the town and more to do with the fact that I missed him something terrible- MacCready was my brother, and since he’d been gone, it felt like my world was getting smaller and smaller by the day.

“Princess!” Mac cried, laughing as he saw the wide load I was carrying. “Holy smokes, you are as big as a super mutant! Are you even supposed to be upright, or should I just turn you on your side and roll you down to the fields?”

“You try it and I’m gonna shoot you in the ass, no questions asked,” I growled, grabbing him and throwing my arms around him. “I’ve missed you so much, you jerk!”

“Missed you too, Princess,” he agreed. “It ain’t been the same without you giving me guff at every turn.” When I let him go, he pulled back and looked down at my stomach, shaking his head. “Can’t believe it’s almost time for you to pop that kid out… time sure flies when people aren’t trying to murder you at every turn, huh?”

“Well, I must be kinda psycho, cause I think I got way too used to the excitement,” I said, shifting so I could sit on the steps of the Statehouse. “I’m going stir crazy over here- John’s got everyone watching me like a hawk, and I haven’t been able to do anything fun at all lately.”

Mac raised an eyebrow as he sat next to me. “Define fun.”

I gave him a grin. “Well, let’s just say I haven’t been able to shoot anything for months, and my trigger finger is damn itchy. So,” I said, looking around and making sure I wouldn’t be overheard, “Care to help your dear old sister out and get me the fuck out of this town? Maybe you could escort me to Diamond City so I can meet my nephew and see Nick?”

“Why do I get the feeling that isn’t all you want? I get the distinct feeling that what you’re proposing is gonna make the mayor take it out of my a-butt.” He craned his neck, no doubt checking to see if Hancock was going to jump out from behind a building and throttle him for the mere suggestion of doing something we shouldn’t be doing. “I’m a full-time dad now- I can’t have Hancock trying to kill me for getting his wife in trouble.”

“Since when did you give a shit about listening to what anyone said?” I asked wickedly, trying my best to goad the merc. “Look, all I’m asking is for an escort to Diamond City that isn’t my husband." I tried my best to shrug nonchalantly, but with the extra load I was carrying, it just looked awkward. "And hey, we can’t help it if we take care of a job or two on the way, right? I mean, it isn’t like you don’t carry around a whole arsenal when you go out, and I’m sure there’s a gun or two in there I could use if we got into trouble, right?” I batted my eyelashes at him and rested my head on his shoulder. “I mean, what if we just happened to hear a call for help- we couldn’t very well leave them to it, right?”

He eyed my rounding belly. “You’re as big as a house, Princess- how in the heck do you propose to run from anything, let alone fit behind cover if you need it?”

I poked him in the shoulder. “I’ll have you know I’m probably still faster than you, jerk. Where I'm from, women can still run marathons when they’re ready to pop.”

“What’s a marathon and why would you do it?” He asked as he put his hand on my shelf of a belly, waiting to see if she would kick. Sure enough, after a few moments, there was a tiny flutter, and Mac’s face lit up. “See? Even the kid thinks this is a crappy idea.”

“Or she thinks it’s a fantastic one and she’s excited to get the fuck outta this town,” I retorted. “C’mon… we may not even run into anything. If that’s the case, let’s just shoot bottles or something, ok? I just need to not be Grace the human incubator for a little while, kid.”

Mac chuckled, leaning back on the steps. “Don’t you already have one outside the oven? Where’s Shaun?”

I waved towards the Memory Den. “He and Hancock went to go visit Kent- Shaun wanted to see his Silver Stroud collection.” I sighed. “It’s been good for Kent to have someone to talk to, and it helps Shaun learn how to talk to people a bit more.” I shifted to turn to him, watching as Mac smiled in amusement at me trying to maneuver past my giant abdomen. "I love them both to pieces and bits, but seriously, dude, you gotta help me- I’m turning into a giant Mom-shaped blob and if I don’t get the fuck outta here I’m going to curse somebody out. John means well, but he forgets that I’m not some delicate flower-”

“That’s for dang sure,” he said with a snort.

“Anyway,” I said with a huff. “You gonna take me to see my nephew or what?”

“You know, if you hadn’t blown up the relays, you could’ve just done your zappy light thing and gone over like that,” he said with a grin. “Would’ve liked that a whole lot more instead of hoofing it all the way to DC.” He stood up and extended his hand. “But oh well, I’ll take freedom over fast travel, I suppose.”

I took his hand, getting to my feet, eyes bright with excitement. “You’re taking me?”

“I suppose there’s no harm in taking you to see Pipes and the kid,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll do it, but on one condition.”

“You name it,” I said immediately. “I need to get the hell outta here.”

He grinned. “You gotta tell the Mayor where you’re going and you gotta go get my nephew- Nat’s been lookin’ to hang out with him again, and I want him to meet his cousin too.”

I frowned. “But then I won’t get to go shoot things,” I huffed. “That was part of the point, Mac- why do you have to go and make me be all responsible and shit?”

The kid shrugged. “Those are my conditions- take it or leave it. But I hear that there’s a dang good bowl of noodles in it for you once we get there, so I’m not opposed to us making the trip.”

“But if I tell John, he’s gonna come with me,” I whined. “Then how am I supposed to do anything I’m not supposed to?”

“Precisely,” he said with a wink. “It also saves me a return trip to take your brahmin-sized butt back home.”

“You are just as much of a buzzkill as he is nowadays, you know that?” I glared at him and crossed my arms, but his expression didn’t change. In resignation, I let out an exasperated sigh. “Oh, all right," I muttered as I glared at him. "You’re lucky I really just want to get the hell out of here and meet Duncan.”

“Atta girl,” he said, looping his arm around my shoulder and giving me an exaggerated kiss on the cheek. “And because you’re not being a total snit, I’m gonna do you a favor.”

I made a show of wiping my cheek and turned to him, searching his face to see what he was playing at. “What exactly do you have in mind?”

Mac gave me a wide grin. “After dinner, we’re gonna go to my firing range- I gotta keep up my skills somehow, so I may as well school you while I’m at it. Fancy a game of house?"

“It’s a game of _horse_, not house, and I fucking love you, MacCready,” I said, throwing my arms around him. “You're the best, kid- what would I do without you?"

He smirked. “No idea, but who'd want to live in a world like that?”

"Not me," I said. "Race you to the Memory Den? Last one there has to tell John he's gotta make a trip to Diamond City."

MacCready laughed. "You're on, Princess- now that you're a belly on legs, I got a chance at beatin' you this time." 

"You wish, kid," I retorted as I pushed past him and took off, laughing as we raced through the streets of Goodneighbor like a couple of idiots.

And just like the first time, people stopped and stared as we ran through the streets at breakneck speed, cheerfully lobbing insults at each other as we ran towards the Memory Den. And though I knew I was going to hear about it from my husband when we arrived, I didn't care in the least- when we were running, I wasn't a mom or a wife, and he wasn't a merc or a dad- we were just Grace and MacCready, two people happily reliving a memory from long ago. 


	19. The Perfect Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hancock helps Shaun make a gift for his sister  
Setting: Before “Always and Forever, Sunshine” (Chapter 35)

_ _

* * *

“Dad,” a small voice said as it gently shook Hancock awake from his nap on the couch. “Dad, wake up! You promised we’d go out today!”

“All right,” he said sleepily, opening an eye to see the small boy standing next to him. “I’m up, kiddo.” Letting out a groan, the ghoul slowly made his way to his feet, straightening his rumpled clothes and grabbing his red frock coat from the nearby chair. “So, it looks like someone is awful eager this afternoon- what gives?”

Shaun’s eyes were wide as he tugged on his hands, dragging him to the door. “You said we could go talk to Daisy when she opened up and I have to get my parts! I can’t finish my gift for the baby if I don’t get over there!”

Hancock laughed gently, shaking his head. “Shaun, you don’t need to make your sister anything- you being good to her is all she needs, a’ight?” He’d hoped this would serve to calm the boy, but poor Shaun just looked ready to cry. Hancock sighed- he’d forgotten that the boy was super sensitive about how the other kid’s perceived him. Stooping down, he placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “No matter what, your sister is going to love you just as much as we do, kiddo.”

The boy bit his lip, and for a moment Shaun looked like his mother. “Are you sure, Dad? The other kids didn’t like me, but I hope my sister does,” he said sadly. “I really want to be a good big brother.”

“You’re gonna be great, Shaun,” he said as he ruffled his son’s hair. He still couldn’t believe his life all these months later- he’d initially been hesitant with the boy knowing that he was his stepfather, but the boy had taken to him like a fish to water, and he wasn’t complaining. Hell, after all the shit they’d gone through, he felt like he’d done more than enough to be worthy of the boy’s affections- if Shaun was willing to offer them, Hancock was damn sure gonna take them. A surge of pride went through him every time Shaun called him ‘Dad’- not even Fahr called him that, so hearing it from the boy made him finally feel like he wasn’t entirely hopeless as a father. “I can’t think of a single reason you won’t be an awesome big brother. Just don’t ask your big sister for tips- she does things her own way."

Shaun gave him a confused look. “Why not, Dad? Fahr is awesome- she teaches me stuff and she doesn’t let anyone make fun of me.” 

Hancock gave a slight wince at his words, remembering the incident- Fahr and Shaun had been at workbench making modifications to her favorite machine gun when a drunk had come around, mocking the poor boy as he talked with his sister. By the time someone had called Hancock over, the man was choking under the heel of her boot and turning an interesting shade of purple. Not wanting to be called to the carpet by Grace for letting his daughter kill a man in front of his son, he forced the man to apologize before Fahr crushed his throat. As the jackass ran away, stone-cold sober and gasping for breath, Shaun had flung his arms around the redhead’s waist, proclaiming her to be ’the best big sister ever’. The ghoul had to fight to hide a grin at the way her face melted just before she gave the boy a light hug and pulled away, telling him to stop being such a sap so they could put her gun back together. 

“You got a point there- her methods may be questionable, but she loves you to bits, kiddo,” he said approvingly. “And I’m sure you’re gonna love and look out for your little sister too.” _Just please don’t do it the way Fahr does,_ he thought to himself. _The town can't handle it._

“I will, Dad,” he said solemnly. “That’s why I need to get stuff- I’m making her something I saw in a book, but I need one more part."

“Guess I can’t say no,” Hancock said with a smile. “Let’s head over before your mom comes back.”

—

That evening, Shaun was brimming with excitement- he wriggled so much throughout dinner that Grace finally threw her hands up in exasperation, excusing him from the table. Once excused, the boy leaped from his seat like he’d been shot from a cannon, only stopping long enough to loudly whisper for Hancock to keep his mom out of the room for a few hours. Once that message had been delivered, he took off, leaping up the stairs two at a time. 

“What was that all about?” Grace wondered aloud. “I wasn’t the one cooking, so dinner couldn’t have been that bad.”

Hancock leaned over and kissed his wife on the forehead. “Nah, he’s got a surprise for you and the baby, is all."

Grace looked shocked. “Really? That’s so sweet- he didn’t have to do that.”

“I know he doesn’t, but let’s reserve judgment on how sweet it is until we know what he built,” he said good-naturedly. “Hell, for all we know he’s making the baby a tiny grenade launcher.”

“Meh, she’ll grow into it,” Grace said with a grin, kissing him on the cheek when she noticed his frown. “I’m glad he’s excited about all this, at least.”

“You have no idea, Sunshine,” Hancock chuckled. “Excited is an understatement. Poor kid is scared his sister won’t like him.” He wished he could just light a cigarette, so he popped a Mentat instead, trying to subdue the craving. “You’d think playing with Nat and Duncan would put him more at ease, but the poor kid is wound up tighter than a spring sometimes.” 

“It’s just gonna take time,” Grace sighed. “We got a lot to work through, and it’s only been a few months.” She looked longingly at the bottle of whiskey on the fireplace and sighed. “When this creature pops out, I’m taking the biggest drink I can think of.” Blowing out a breath and making her bangs fly upward, Grace groaned. “God, I miss alcohol.”

“Stop being a brat,” he chided, placing a hand on her stomach. “That’s my daughter you’re talking about, you know.”

“I know what I said,” she retorted with a grin as she pulled him in for a kiss. “But fine- tell your daughter to stop sitting on my bladder and then we can talk.” She inclined her head towards the stairs. “You might want to check on him, though- I haven’t heard a drill or a hammer, so I’ve got no idea what he might be up to.”  
  
“Will do,” he said, walking towards the stairs. “You think you can handle the cleanup, or do I need to save you from doing dishes as well as creating edible food?”

“Asshole,” she said, swatting him on the butt. “Now go away before I sit on you."  
—  
A little under an hour later, Shaun asked Hancock to go bring his mom upstairs, practically bouncing on his heels as they approached. As promised, Hancock held his hands over Grace’s eyes, waiting patiently till the boy told him he could uncover them. 

“Okay, Dad- you can let her see now,” he sang out. “Mom, I wanted to do this for you and the baby,” he said, pointing to the homemade mobile he’d made and attached to the crib. “You sing to me every night before I go to sleep, and it helps me not feel so lonely before I go to sleep. Since I can’t sing like you, I wanted to make something for the baby so she can have it too.” Shaun leaned over and turned the key that jutted from the box he'd attached to the crib, and the cardboard cutouts began to slowly spin in time to the twinkling music that came from the old music box they’d found at Daisy’s. “Do you like it, Mom?” Shaun asked shyly. ”Dad and I made it together."

Hancock hugged the boy. “I just helped you get parts- don’t sell yourself short, kid- this was all you.”

When he looked over at Grace, his wife was uncharacteristically silent- she just stood in the doorway, hand over her mouth. When Hancock raised an eyebrow at her, she finally spoke, and her usually sarcastic voice was almost inaudible and thick with emotion. “It’s amazing, Shaun- I can’t believe you put this together.” 

“Did the kid do well?” Hancock prodded, hoping that Grace would get the hint- the kid had spent too long on this and the ghoul knew Shaun needed to see that his mom was pleased with his efforts.

Grace nodded, catching on immediately. “He sure did, John,” she said, leaning down to hug her son and kiss him on the forehead. “It’s the perfect gift."


	20. It just doesn't fit anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> X6 does some analysis and comes to some conclusions  
Setting: After “Always and Forever, Sunshine” (Chapter 35)

_ _

* * *

His old armor doesn’t feel right anymore.

The long black coat feels oppressive in the heat, and the dark sunglasses make it harder for the other Neighborhood Watch members to trust him about the threats he sees. The black leather outfit is too new for this town, where despite their best efforts everything is covered in a thin layer of dust, and he hates the look of the sticky handprints the tiny one leaves on his legs when he visits the Statehouse. The boots, made for quick jaunts back to the Institute, are not suited to the on-ground sprints to chase away the Super Mutant or Raider parties, not to mention locating the tiny one for his friends when she escapes her confinement. When he stands guard at the gate, he hates the looks that the newcomers give him, as if he’s going to tear away everything they hold dear. And though he has tried to master what his friend tells him is called a ‘smile’, the expression still feels foreign on his face, often coming across more like a grimace than the warm expression the ghoul uses when he sits with him on the steps at night and assures him that everything is ok. 

He talks with his friend as she holds the tiny one in her lap and considers leaving to find a new home, but then the tiny one reaches up to him as he sits on the steps, wrapping her chubby arms around him. He is startled but never unaware, raising an eyebrow and preparing to chide her for the impromptu invasion of his personal space. But instead of cowering in fear like the others do, she simply reaches up and takes the sunglasses off his face with her chubby hands. Too surprised to be angry, he finds that he can see her much better this way, and when her mother tries to apologize, he waves her off, removing the sunglasses and sitting them on the steps next to him. He lets the small girl explore his face with her sticky hands and his friend apologizes for the mess, but he is unconcerned- he can easily wash his face and the child’s intrusion is not wholly unpleasant.

One day, he notices that the ghoul has left a package for him on his bed, and he opens it to find his very own Neighborhood Watch uniform, which he discovers is much lighter and easier to wear than his previous outfit. The dust doesn’t show against the three-piece patchwork suit, and the fedora keeps the blazing sun from battering down on his skin, while also giving him something to place on the tiny one’s head as she inevitably seeks him out like a tiny missile whenever she spots him. When the brim slips over her eyes, it causes her to emit the sound that reminds him so much of her mother, and he often responds in kind, shocking anyone in earshot of the two of them.

This time, she extends her arms up to him in that way she often does with her father and he obliges the girl, hoisting her on his shoulders and racing through the streets to let her feel as if she is flying. This scene causes the redhead to laugh, and she pokes the boy building something at the nearby workbench. Spurred by the joy on the girl’s face, they too join in the chase, causing the ghoul and his friend to shake their heads in disbelief as they see their children flying down the street in front of them, the smallest high above the crowd and letting out peals of laughter that he mirrors with his own. 

Today, there are rumblings of a Raider party near the gates, and he is on alert with his partner, standing watch for anything suspicious. Ever vigilant, he soon spies the glint of a gun barrel in the distance, and in the worn and broken-in leather boots his friend has procured for him, he leads the charge and saves the travelers seeking refuge in Goodneighbor. When he eliminates the threat and escorts the grateful people to the gates, he finds two additional Watch members waiting for him and applauding his efforts.

That night, they take him to the Third Rail, and it is the first time he has been in the bar without one of the Misfits. The sensation is strange but calming- to his surprise, he finds that he can relax and enjoy his time with his new compatriots. When he spots the young mercenary come in with the reporter, he waves a hand in greeting but hurriedly returns his attention to the table, as one of his companions has told a story he finds quite interesting. He has questions about things the man has said, but instead of being angry at his inquiries, they embrace his interest and offer the extra details he needs to fill in the gaps. The evening proves to be enjoyable, and he finds the company amusing enough to agree to join them in the future.

When he is ready to leave the bar, he remembers that the ghoul has advised him to get to know the others in town- seeing an opportunity to practice, he stops to say hello to the old pre-war ghoul, who is heading to the Memory Den. He offers him a greeting and uses this interaction as an opportunity to practice his smile, which the man casually returns as he walks towards his destination. To his delight, the encounter seems just as benign as any other he has observed during his residency in town, and he is pleased with the results he's obtained. 

When he enters the statehouse and heads for his room, he notices that there is a mod sitting on the bed with a note from the boy. He is touched that the boy has listened so closely to their conversation on weapon calibration and has made him a modification to assist with the sway he is finding from the long-range rifle he uses lately. Thankful for the gift, he writes a note to give to the boy in the morning. He would go now, but his friend insists that the children go to bed at what she deems a reasonable time, so any interactions with them will have to wait until they have breakfast. His friend insists they all meet in the morning for their first meal, and though he doesn’t need the food, he tends to find the conversations between himself and the family amusing and enlightening, so he does not complain. 

Before he goes to bed, he folds his suit neatly across the chair and places his hat on the desk, taking care to not wrinkle the pants as he does so. Since he doesn’t wear sunglasses anymore, he notices that his eyes adjust to the changes in light easier when he settles in for the night, and he often finds himself processing the events of the day during these quiet times when the house is asleep. It is on one of these nights, he lays in the darkness and notices the silhouette of his old uniform hanging from the door- Confused, he frowns when he concludes that he finds his assessment improbable, to be sure, but when he does the mental calculations, he can come to no other conclusion. Rising from the bed and acknowledging his findings, he takes the coat and places it in his pack, making a mental note to stop by the shopkeeper in the morning to sell it- the young man’s birthday is coming up, and he could use the additional caps to assist with the purchase of a gift.

Satisfied with the resolution, X6 closes his eyes, content with his decision. 

His old life doesn’t fit anymore. 


	21. Don't eat my bird, Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little older and a little wiser, Sam and Grace share a moment on the roof  
Setting: After “Always and Forever, Sunshine” (Chapter 35)

_ _

* * *

“I think I’m a little too old to be out here, Squeak,” I said as I poked my head out the window, finding Sam sitting on the blanket and staring up at the night sky. 

“That makes two of us, I suppose,” she said, turning to look at me with a wide smile. “This weirdness with time travel really doesn’t help with determining how old you are.” My younger sister cocked her head at me, her green eyes reflecting the light of the moon. “Are you older or younger than me now? I can’t keep up anymore.”

“We’re just going to say you’re always gonna be my younger sister,” I said with a grin. “Besides, I’m over two-hundred years old- no matter what, I think I got you beat.”

“You’ve got a point there, GraceFace,” she said, gesturing to our traditional package of Oreos and a thermos of hot chocolate she had sitting on the blanket. “Have a seat- I reserved the best one in the house just for you.”

“You shouldn’t have,” I teased, climbing out the window and joining her on the roof. “I’m so gonna owe MacCready and Piper for this,” I said, grabbing one of the cookies and popping it into my mouth. “Watching all those kids tonight should qualify them for sainthood. Hell, the two I own get on my last nerve sometimes- I can’t imagine adding two additional ones to the mix.” 

Sam quirked up an eyebrow and filled her cup from the thermos, the steam shrouding her face. “Aren’t they supposed to be popping out their own nugget sometime soon?”

“Yep,” I said, mouth full of the cookie I was munching on. “Lord knows why they’d do that to themselves, but after getting to spend an uninterrupted childhood with my daughter, I bowed the fuck out. No more for me- Jenny has successfully cured me of any romantic notions of a mini Hancock brood.”

“You leave my niece alone,” Sam said, waving a cookie at me threateningly- in retaliation, I leaned over and took a large bite out of it. “Jenny is a sweetheart and you know it.”

“That’s the problem,” I moaned, filling my cup. “She’s too damn smart- that kid has everyone in town wrapped around her little finger, including her dad. I swear, it's like she’s a mini pharaoh or something.” I shuddered and let out a giggle. "I don’t think I could take another like her- they’d probably try to eat each other in a show of dominance or something. But hey, my brother deserves the chance to be just as miserable as we are.”

Sam let out a snort. “You’re so progressive, Grace.” 

I shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a giving soul.”

My sister laughed and I reached over, hugging her and placing a kiss on her forehead. “I’ve missed you, Squeak,” I said, staring off into the distance. “And, while we’re at it, I don’t think I’ve ever properly thanked you.”

She shifted and looked at me curiously. “What did you need to thank me for, calling a sister date so you had an excuse to get a babysitter? If so, thank you- I accept all forms of praise.”

“You are such a shit sometimes, you know that?” I said, laughing at her smirking expression. “Anyway, before you derail every conversation in your path, I wanted to thank you for what you did for John- none of this would’ve been possible if you didn’t step in to help that day. I know you weren’t supposed to, so thank you for everything.”

“While I freely admit I would’ve done it anyway, we were played on that one,” Sam said wryly. “Mom knew I’d move heaven and earth for you- I’d already been caught doing it before, so what’s once more to help my big sister. Plus,” she said with a grin, “Dad was gonna hand me my ass if I didn’t do something to save you."

Though I didn’t want to, I let out a laugh. "Kinda like training wheels for your big day, huh?” Sam nodded and I shook my head in amazement. "I swear, that woman is constantly playing things twenty moves ahead of us when we’re barely managing not to fuck up what’s right in front of our faces.”

“I still live here, so you said that, not me,” Sam replied with a grin. When I glared at her, she let out a musical laugh and shook her head. “Anyway, speaking of John, how’s that husband of yours?” 

“As I said, alive thanks to you and no thanks to himself,” I replied with a sigh, grabbing another cookie. “That man will be the death of me, I swear.”

“That’s BS and you know it,” my sister chided me. “You couldn’t live without him- anyone with at least half a brain could see it.” She took another sip of her drink, hoping to deflect the conversation. “Do you like it there, Grace?”

I raised my eyebrow at the girl. “Are you really asking me if I like living in an irradiated town full of things trying to kill me on a day to day basis with no grocery stores, cell phones, internet, or working vehicles other than two-headed cows?”

She shrugged. “You’re still there, aren’t you? If you hate it so much, why do you stay?”

I shifted to face my sister, curious to see her face. “Why do you ask, Squeak? What’s on your mind?”

Sam wagged a finger me. “Nope- Lawyer tactics don’t work on this roof. Sister conversations only, and I asked you a question first- why do you stay if there’s so much you don’t like about it?” 

“Because,” I replied, leaning back on the blanket and staring upward. “I love the people there more. I love my family. Mom used to tell us all the time that family isn’t just about blood, and I used to think she was full of shit, but after being there… those people are family, Sam.” 

“I think I know exactly what you mean,” Sam said quietly. “We do that a lot, don’t we?” I turned my head towards her and gave her a confused look- she sighed and lay down next to me. “We’re really not sociable, but when we do connect with people, we don’t let go.”

“Speak for yourself, I’m a goddamn delight,” I said laughing. “You’re the one who sits in your room all day.” 

“Well,” she said, looking off into the distance. “Someone _did_ tell me to go out into the world before they left… I may or may not have taken their advice.” I laughed and absentmindedly, Sam touched a hand to her neck, fingering the locket that dangled there. “You’ve lived it, Grace- what are your thoughts about our curse?”

“I asked mom about that when I was here before,” I said carefully. “But we can get back to that, 'cause you’re hiding something, Sam, and don’t you even try to deny it- you’re a terrible liar. What’s going on, and why are you wearing an engagement ring? You got something you want to share with the rest of the class?” 

“Is it worth it?” Sam asked, avoiding my question as she ran her finger across the stone on her hand. “Cause right now, I’m not sure if I want to deal with it a second time.”

Sensing my sister wasn’t going to offer anything up until she got an answer to her question, I sighed, thinking of how to answer her. “When I lost Shaun, I thought my world was over. That little boy was the first thing in my life that I thought I did right, and waking up to find him gone…” I shuddered at the memory. “It almost broke me, Squeak. And when I found out what really happened to him, I lost it- when Mom found me, I was ready to leave. I was willing to lose that whole portion of my life if it meant I didn’t have to live with the pain of losing my little boy.”

Sam searched my face, and I finally noticed that her green eyes were tinged with sadness despite her cheerful demeanor. “So why did you stay? Wouldn’t it have been easier to come back?”

“John,” I said quickly. “And my other friends. I stayed for them, Sam. Let’s be honest, we don’t belong here and we know it. Yeah, it’s a safe space, but we were never meant to stay here.” I gave my sister a knowing look, taking her chilly hand in mine. “We’re supposed to be somewhere else, with someone else. And you know what? The more I think about it, I don’t think the way we love is a curse. Yeah, it hurts and wrecks you in the beginning, but it works out in the end, albeit a little differently than how we think it should. I mean, Mom can tolerate Dad… most days. I have Shaun again- granted, it isn’t how I would have wanted to see my boy grow up, but I’ll take it. But to have that and my husband and daughter…” I smiled at the girl lying next to me, hoping I could assuage whatever things were going on in her head. “It was so worth it, Sam. And I can tell that you got that same debate going on in your head, either from the ring you keep fingering or the locket around your neck.” 

“Perceptive, GraceFace,” she said softly. “You sure you didn’t inherit any of our freaky-mumbo-jumbo-witch-thingie?”

“Nope… I just know my little sister,” I said as I squeezed her hand. “Squeak, I found my life somewhere across the universe- whatever you’re looking for, I can guarantee that you won't find it here.”

“I don’t know if I can do this,” she said softly, twisting the ring on her finger. “I’m not strong like you. I don’t know if I could give up my connection to here- what does that say about me?”

I smiled. “That you’re only twenty years old and you’re trying to figure out what you want. Hell, I’m over two-hundred and thirty and I can just now say I have an inkling about what it is that I’m supposed to be doing.” 

Sam returned my smile but looked away. “I don’t want to leave you, Grace- I just found you again. What am I supposed to do without you?” 

“You’ve always got me, Squeak.” I leaned over and hugged my little sister, who looked so lost right then. “Even if we can’t sit our big asses on this roof which is certainly not designed to hold two grown-ass women, we’re always connected. I knew that when I was traveling- I would take a moment every night to stretch out and stare at the stars, just so I could be close to you.” I heard her sniffle a little and I wiped my thumb across her cheek, clearing the trails of her tears. “Hey, we’re sisters, remember- you fuck with one, you fuck with both.” I ran my thumb over the ring on her hand, then looked up at her. “You wanna talk about it?” She shook her head, and I nodded. “Fair enough. I just got one question,” I asked as I pointed to the ring. “First or second?” 

She sighed, taking a deep breath. “Second.”

“Then what the fuck are you still doing here on a roof with me?” I asked incredulously. “You should be like ‘fuck this shit, I’m out, don’t let the door hit you in the ass when I leave’." She frowned, but I frowned right back at her. "Sam, that’s your life out there- go fucking live it, kid.”

“I can’t lose everything again,” she replied softly. “It hurts.” 

“Well, I can certainly sympathize with that,” I said slowly. “Mine ended up making me a borderline alcoholic with a penchant for shooting things. Good thing that those are admirable qualities in my world now.” 

She let out a snort. “Who are you kidding? You were practically an alcoholic before you left.”

“Pssh,” I returned, giving her a dismissive wave. “I had it under control-“ She raised an eyebrow at me and I laughed, realizing that this girl knew me better than I even knew myself. “Ok, I had a _slight_ problem before I left. But everything I did here works for me over there- I _fit_, Sam. I’m not the fuck up out there- I’m just Grace. I’m the one you call when you need something broken into or if you need a decent gun at your back. I’m the one who can hack anything and get you secrets from before the war. I’m the one who can talk to anyone, be them settler or ghoul. And I’m _happy_, Sam- for the first time in my whole miserable life, I’m _happy_.” I stared at her, pleading with her to understand. “I found a family out there- they’ll never replace you guys, but they’re just as important, which makes me know I’m home when I’m there. We've got a brother, yet another dad-“

“Geez, Grace, are you trying to collect a set or something? Hell, you got yours, mine, and now a new one? I’m starting to think you have daddy issues- got something you want to tell me?”

“You’re such a little shit, Sam,” I said laughing. “Point is, they’re family. And that’s what makes it home for me."

She stared up at the sky, looking as if she was processing everything I’d said. “So, you think I should go?” 

I bit my lip, then nodded. “If it’s going to give you the life you deserve, then yes. Sitting up here and watching the world pass you by isn’t the life I wanted for you.”

Sam nodded and turned to me as a thoughtful expression settled on her face. “How do you feel about ravens, Grace?” 

Frowning at the odd question, I took a moment to think about it. “Um, Tinker Tom’s has a shit fit about crows since they were Institute spies, but I assume ravens are different enough, so… no opinion?” 

“If I do this,” she said carefully, “I just need you to promise me that you won’t shoot my bird, ok?”

“Out of all the things in the universe that you could say, do, or ask when you’re contemplating life choices, _that’s_ what you decide to go with?” She gave me a look and I let out an exasperated sigh, clasping my hands behind my head. “Fine, I promise not to shoot your fucking bird, ok. But I’m warning you that we don’t have a KFC over there, so if that bastard starts looking tasty I make no apologies for my future actions.”

Sam looked horrified. “Don’t you _dare_ try to eat Baron Plucky! He’s the only one that could get a message to you from where I’m going!” 

“Oh all right, we won't eat the damn bird,” I growled. “But I expect updates and gossip from you, Squeak.”

“You’re going to regret saying that,” she teased, elbowing me in the side as she sat up to grab another cookie. “Remember, you asked.”

“I couldn’t forget if I tried,” I replied, smiling as I sat up. “But I just have one last question, Sam.”

“Shoot, GraceFace,” she said, her mouth full of crumbs. “What’s on your mind?”

I split the cookie and licked the cream from the middle, staring at my sister’s face in the light on the roof and realizing how lucky I truly was. “What kind of a dumbass name for a bird is Baron Plucky, Sam?” 

She shrugged. “The woman who named him insisted on it. And as a rule of thumb, I don’t argue with people who know how to use guns or sharp pointy objects.”

“Good rule,” I said as I shook my head. “Love you, Squeak.” 

“Love you too,” she said with a smirk. “Now enough with the mushy stuff- let’s just enjoy the sugar rush, shall we?"

“Couldn’t agree more,” I replied as I took her hand and settled back on the blanket with my sister, quietly watching the stars dance across the night sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap- thank you for joining me and the Misfits for this one last ride through the Commonwealth! It was so much fun to explore the little moments that I just couldn't do in the first one (I had an outline and for better or worse, I stuck with it)! Feel free to let me know what you thought about it in the comments- your kudos and interactions really do make a difference when we write these wild and crazy tales!  
  
And, if you want to know about Sam's adventures, feel free to check out the _A Dream Across the Universe_ series. The story is set in a different world, but we get some appearances from Grace, Dean, and Nia as Sam goes on her own journey.

**Author's Note:**

> Also, if you want to know what happens to Jenny and Shaun afterwards, check out the [It was never enough ](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870864%E2%80%9D%20rel=) series!
> 
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